Affectionate Souls
by Raeloe
Summary: Sequel to The Lonely Heart. Now that things have settled down, will their relationship grow? Or will hardships try to tear them apart?
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi / the television series are produced by Sunrise.**

As the sun rose up in the sky for the day, its warm, multicolored hues shone through the window pane onto the face of the young miko and stirred her from her slumber. When she rolled over, a familiar pair of strong arms tightened ever so slightly around her. When her chocolate brown eyes blinked open, they were met with soft golden ones gazing back at her. For the last few months, they had spent every night like this. The daiyōkai was adamant about staying by her side to ensure her safety, and she gave up trying to argue it. She would never admit it to him, but she loved waking up in his arms everyday. It made every day just a little bit better knowing that it began and would end with him being by her side.

By yōkai traditions they were mates, but she wanted to also be married through human tradition as well. Even though he saw no point in it, he had agreed to _court_ her for a few months before he would propose. Every morning she woke up with a bit of butterflies in her stomach, wondering if it would be the day he asked. She had always dreamed of having a wedding, but never thought she would have a happily ever after like the princesses in fairy tales.

The daiyōkai gazed into her eyes, a small smile puling at his lips, "Good morning, mate. Did you sleep well?"

"Mm. Always do when you're with me Sesshō. G'mornin." she smiled, leaning forward and gently brushing her lips against his.

A soft rumble sounded in his throat and he caught her bottom lip between his teeth, sucking on the flesh a moment before releasing it. The action brought a gasp from her lips and sent shivers down her body. She swatted at his shoulder playfully, trying to give him a straight, stern look as she attempted to roll the other way to get out of bed. However, he was stronger and refused to let her go just yet.

"Sesshō, it's time to get up for the day. I do still have to go to school you know. It's no different than yesterday or the day before, or last week and will be no different tomorrow or next week. Besides, I've enjoyed reading your book about me in history class."

The daiyōkai looked at her, a perfect silver eyebrow raised, "How do you know it was this Sesshōmaru and not the kitsune who wrote the book?"

"Oh I have no doubt that he helped you write it, but you have always had elegant handwriting and were more educated than he was. It took me a bit to realize that but then I knew for sure that it was you."

With a soft chuckle, he loosened his arms to allow her to get up, "Hnn. The kitsune did help with parts this Sesshōmaru was not there to witness, which was quite a bit. The wolf yōkai helped a bit as well."

"Honestly, I'm just surprised nobody has realized it's me the book is talking about. Having been absent for a good chunk of school before now, with ridiculous illnesses. I haven't told my best friends, they didn't know about it in the first place and I'm not exactly sure how they would react to it. Besides, one of them probably wouldn't be able to keep the secret among themselves and I'd rather not deal with all of that unnecessary attention." she rambled on as she got dressed in her uniform.

Her high school uniform was different than the previous green and white one she used to wear. This one consisted of a white formal shirt, a deep blue button up jacket, a plaid skirt and a striped neck tie. The skirt was just as short as the green one had been, and this made the daiyōkai jealous, he did not want anyone else seeing so much of his mate's body. If it was up to him, she wouldn't have to go to begin with but he would not keep her from going. Education was important, and he would not get in the way of her academics.

The daiyōkai was now sitting up on the edge of the bed, and she walked over to lean down and press her lips gently against his. He ran a hand through her hair, pulling her close to him with his other arm wrapping around her waist. She smiled through their kiss, knowing he was trying to stall the inevitable.

"Sesshō, I really can't stay, if I stay any longer I will be marked tardy and then I'll have to stay after school for detention." She put a few inches of distance between their faces, trying to give him a stern look.

He managed a small pout, "Fine. This Sessōmaru does not wish for you to be gone longer than you need to be, mate. I will see you this afternoon, dress in something nice later when I come by. We will be going out."

"Where are we going?" She raised an eyebrow at him as she pulled on her socks and picked up her shoes.

Now it was his turn to smile, "You will find out later, no need to ruin the surprise. Have a good day at school."

She shook her head and slung her backpack over her shoulders, heading out of her room and down the stairs. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she put on her shoes and walked out the front door.

Before closing the door behind her, she called to her mother over her shoulder, "I'm leaving! See you later! Love you!"

"I love you too dear! Have a great day!" her mother's voice carried back to her as the door closed shut.

The miko jogged down the flights of stairs, aware she had dawdled a bit longer than she meant to and for that she would have to make haste if she wanted to make it to school on time. Usually she would walk with her friends or walk by herself, sometimes take her bike if she was really running late, but she settled for getting a bit of extra exercise today.

Within minutes, she was at the entrance to her school panting. She really needed to exercise more, if this was going to become a habit. That was a thought she would save for later, because she had to hustle through the campus to get to her history class on time. The class wasn't as bad as she had previously thought it would turn out to be in the beginning of the year. It amazed her how much detail was put into the book of her past encounters.

As she walked inside the room the teacher had stared at her quizzically, she was _always_ early to class, usually the first one to class. She had made it through the door and into her seat, less than a minute before the bell rang to signal class to begin. The teacher began class without hesitation after the bell, going into a rant about demons and the Shikon no Tama being guarded by priestess after priestess to ensure it would not fall into the hands of evil.

After the teacher's voice got hoarse from droning on, he cleared his throat, "This week's assignment will be writing a journal as if you are in the shoes of a priestess, it does not have to be Kagome or Kikyo, you can make up a name if you wish. Write as though you are going through the same hardships, battling evil demons and humans alike to protect the world. You can even feel free to add in details of an actual battle that took place, or make up a battle between you and a demon or evil human. It will be due the beginning of next week. I expect you to write at _least_ 5 pages worth of entries, though you can definitely do more."

 _Well this shouldn't be too hard, I actually went through all of that. So I can just write from my own experience a week in the feudal era!_

She smiled to herself, trying to figure out which week she would choose to write about. There had been many encounters, many experiences that she could pick and choose from. She wasn't sure if she should choose something that would be a life lesson for someone in this day and age or just anything in general. Her mind was still racing when the shrill sound of the bell rang that signaled for everyone to head to their next class. It startled her, causing her to jump a bit in her chair and blink several times before getting up and collecting her things off the desk.

~~~~Later That Day~~~~

Three outfits lay across her bed, she had been having a hard time trying to pick out what she wanted to wear. Sesshōmaru had said that they would be going out, but he didn't tell her where they would be going. All he had said was to dress in something _nice_. What did nice even mean when it came to clothes? She didn't want to under-dress or over-dress for the occasion.

She had been staring at a light green halter top dress that flowed to her knees, with little beads strewn all over in various patterns. It seemed to fit in the nice category and it wasn't too flashy or fancy. Other next to that was a sky blue skirt paired with a white tank top with a floral pattern, and she wasn't entirely sure that he would appreciate her showing so much skin even if the outfit was cute in her opinion. Lastly, there was a pair of charcoal grey dress pants that she had in the bottom of her closet and a maroon button up shirt.

After several minutes of wanting to tear her hair out, she finally decided to just go with the green dress. Once she was in it, she combed through her raven tresses and grabbed a soft, yellow cardigan to go with the dress. As soon as she picked up her shoes and was at the bottom of the stairs, there was a knock on the front door. His familiar scent filled her nostrils as she heard his knock, and a smile crossed her lips.

"Almost ready, just putting on my shoes and I'll be out Sesshō!" she called out as she fumbled with getting her second shoe on her foot.

She got up off the stairs and made a beeline for the front door, eager to hug the daiyōkai since she missed him. She had gotten used to having him near her, that being away from him felt strange to her, even if she was only at school. When the door opened, his arms were instantly wrapped around her waist to pull her close to him. In turn, she wrapped hers around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips.

"This Sesshōmaru missed you, my mate. You look gorgeous, did you have a good day at school today?" he smile down at her, resting his forehead against hers.

She smiled back at him, "I missed you too Sesshō, and thank you. School was as usual, boring, though I am actually kind of looking forward to the new history assignment I have. We're supposed to write a mock journal of a week in the shoes of a priestess guarding the Shikon no Tama. Other than that, there wasn't much that happened today. So where are we going anyways?"

"Oh? Well that will be easy for you, considering it _is_ based on you and you lived through many battles against demons and evil humans while hunting for jewel shards. You will find out once we get there, let's go shall we?" he held his arm out, like a gentleman, for her to take.

When she looped an arm through his, he escorted her down the various stairs and out of the shrine entrance to where his car was waiting. The Mercedes Benz looked shiny as ever, as if he waxed it daily to make sure it stayed clean and spotless. It reminded her of how he would always keep his haori clean when he fought in battles, he never seemed to get blood on his clothes no matter how messy battles got.

He held the passenger door open for her as she climbed in and buckled her seat belt, before going to the driver side and doing the same. After his seat belt was buckled, he turned the keys in the ignition to bring the car to life. It purred as it came to life, a sound he enjoyed hearing more than he thought he would. With that, they took off towards their destination.

 **A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this is a bit later than expected. It was supposed to be posted earlier this afternoon but I had been busy the last few days! Please forgive me! I did NOT forget about you lovely readers 3 I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Stay tuned for next week's chapter! I love you guys(:**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi / the television series are produced by Sunrise.**

Imagine her surprise, when they ended up in the parking lot of the closest mall to the shrine. She gave him a quizzical look, an eyebrow raised at him as she unbuckled her seat belt. The daiyōkai simply smiled as her got out of the car, walking around to her side and holding out his arm for her. She obligingly took his arm, the car beeping as it locked behind them, and she followed him into the mall.

As they passed through the different stores, she kept tossing him questioningly glances that he never responded to. Finally, they stopped in front of possibly the _last_ store she imagined he would ever step foot in. They were standing in front of the build your own stuffed animal shop, and he just kept a brilliant smile on his lips as he pulled her inside.

"This is only part of our date, but I thought you might want to build something together? I do have business trips I occasionally go on and I thought you might like something to remind you of me when I'm gone. I will be making one to have a reminder of you, as well." he said as he pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist as he gazed into her chocolate brown eyes.

Almost instantly, her cheeks flushed a bright, cherry red as a smile found its way to her lips, "That's very sweet and thoughtful of you Sesshō. I would love to make a little plush version of something that reminds me of you."

Her chocolate brown eyes scanned the shelves that covered the wall to their right, looking through the different animals that sat among them. When she found what she was looking for, she went to the bin number designated for it and fished a non-filled version of it out. She turned around with a big grin on her face as she held out the silver and grey husky for him to see. He shook his head, a smile still on his face as he reached into a bin and plucked out a black cat.

When they got to the fluff filling machine, they each picked up a small padded heart from the bowl next to the machine and kissed it before putting inside their animals. There were two spouts on either side of the machine, so they both got to fluff their animals at the same time. The miko wanted the husky to feel soft, not super packed with fluff so she was done before the daiyōkai was. He wanted the cat to be kind of soft but kind of firm at the same time, a happy middle ground.

Once they finished filling their animals with fluff, they got to sew the backs of them shut to keep the fluff and the hearts inside the animals. Then came the fun part, getting to look through all the accessories and dress the animals! There was so many different thing to choose from, and it took them awhile to find a full outfit that they loved for the animals. When they finished, they met back up by the computers next to the registers to fill out the certificates for them.

She named her husky Sesshō, it was a nickname she loved to call him and she was the only one ever allowed to call him that. Sesshō was dressed in black dress pants, with a slate grey button up and a striped red and yellow tie. He had on little white socks, and black dress shoes and carried a little felt sword in one hand. She smiled when she saw it, because it reminded her of the feudal era and how graceful of a fighter he was.

He named the cat Kago, it wasn't a nickname he had spoken out loud since he preferred to call her mate but he found it very endearing. Kago was dressed in a light blue dress, with a wedding veil sitting on top of its head and semi-high heeled shoes that matched the dress. In one hand was a rose, the other hand holding a candy heart that had "Be Mine" written on it.

It wasn't until they got to the registers that she realized everyone in the store were no longer bustling about, but rather watching them as they checked out. It was then that she also saw the veil on the cat, and she turned to look up at Sesshōmaru. Except, when she turned, he was getting down on one knee and pulling a box out of his pocket. Her chocolate brown eyes went wide with surprise as she gazed into his golden yellow ones.

"Kagome, ever since that day I have not been able to stop thinking about you. I have not smiled or laughed as much as I have when I am with you, and I would not change that for the world. You _are_ my world, and I want the whole world to know what you mean to me. Would you do me the honor of becoming my beautiful wife?" He opened the box, and inside was a 14 karat, rose gold band with a shiny, bright aquamarine gemstone surrounded by several smaller diamonds.

Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes started to water, she barely managed a nod, "Yes. Yes, a thousand times yes!"

Suddenly the room erupted in cheers, and flashes went off as people took pictures. Sesshōmaru slid the ring onto her finger before picking her up and twirling them around in a circle. He stopped before she could get dizzy, and he claimed her lips with his, earning hoots and hollers from some of the guys who had been watching.

~~~~ A short while later ~~~~

"Are we there yet?" The miko asked, having been blindfolded once they left the mall and getting anxious as to where they were heading.

The daiyōkai chuckled softly, taking her left hand in his right hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, "We are almost there mate, just a few minutes more."

Shortly after saying that, the car rolled to a stop and she heard him get out of the car and could make out him talking to someone else. When he was done talking, her door opened and she felt his hand gently grab hers and pull her out of the car. After they were a few steps away, she heard the car take off so she assumed they were at a place that had valet parking. They walked a couple of more steps forward before he stopped her in front of the door and pulled off her blind fold.

She blinked a few times to try to get her eyes to readjust to the light, and then a few more times after she saw the name of the establishment printed on the door. In elegant font, the name on the door read Kagomaru's Grove and there was a ribbon with big bow hanging across the door below the name. With her brows knit, she looked up at him with a questioning look on her face.

"I wanted a special place for us, so for the last few months I had been working on getting this built and set up. There are excellent chefs that I hand picked myself, from all around the world to make whatever you desire. This will be our restaurant, though you will not have to worry about having to run it, the kit is well trained in management and offered to manage the place for us." He smiled, handing her a pair of scissors he had acquired from the gentleman who had taken the car to the parking garage.

Tentatively, she took the pair of scissors and cut the ribbon on the door. As the ribbon fell to the ground, two gentlemen in forest green suits held open the doors for them to enter. Sesshōmaru held his arm out for her, and she intertwined her arm with his as he led them inside. The entry hallway walls were painted a light creme color, and the floor was marbled grey tile throughout the entire building. The dining area was split into different sections, there was a bar area on the far left side that was accompanied with booths, in the center where the chandelier was several tables ranging from two seaters to six seaters, and the far right was lined with several rooms.

He led them to the first door, which was maroon, unlike the other ones that were charcoal grey. When he unlocked the door and held it open for her, her breath caught in her throat. Along the walls were paintings, of her, from different places in the feudal era and from different places they had been together recently. There was a love seat couch in one corner of the room, and there was a mahogany table with two matching chairs in the center of the room. Hanging above the table was a small, silver chandelier.

When she went to run her fingers against one of the paintings, the daiyōkai cleared his throat, "They are all hand-painted by this Sesshōmaru, from memory, as a way to show you how beautiful you are to me."

"Oh Sesshō" For once, she was at a loss for words and could say no more.

Instead, she barreled into his strong arms, wrapping hers around his body and burying her face in his chest. One of his arms snaked around her waist as he held her, and he rested his chin on top of her head. With his free hand, he ran his fingers through her raven colored tresses. He wanted nothing more than to show her how much she meant to him, now that they would have all the time in the world together. He was trying to make up for all the time they weren't together, when time was cruel to them.

A knock came on the door and the two pulled apart as the daiyōkai turned to open it. Standing on the other side was a woman dressed in waitress attire that the miko recognized, she was the same woman who had been working in the castle when she had been staying there before Naraku attacked. A smile crossed her face as she closed the distance between them and hugged her.

"You have no idea how great it is to see you again Misaki!" The miko beamed at the demoness.

The demoness bowed, "The pleasure is all my Lady Kagome, time seems to not have touched you over the last couple of hundred years. You look as young and beautiful as the day you first arrived in the castle. Are you ready to order, m'lady?"

"I think for now I will just have a glass of sprite and a plate of chicken cordon bleu if that's okay?" it sounded more of a question than an answer, since she had no idea what exactly was _on_ the menu here.

Writing in on a pad of paper, Misaki turned to the daiyōkai, "Would m'lord like something as well?"

"Hnn. I will have a glass of sake for now, thank you Misaki." he replied.

With that, the demoness bowed once more and turned around to head towards the kitchen. The daiyōkai closed the door, gesturing for the miko to take a seat at the table as he pulled a chair out for her like a gentleman. After she sat down, he sat in the chair across from her and propped an elbow up on the table, leaning his chin on his hand as he smiled softly at his mate.

 **A/N: Anddd** **that's a wrap for chapter two! HE PROPOSED TO HER! -Squeals- I wanted a cute chapter for the two of them and it took me a good bit to actually get this chapter finished. I got stuck on it a few times because some ideas I liked but they didn't quite fit. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Stay tuned for the next one lovelies! As always, thank you for reading and have a great day/night(:**

 **P. S. I'm sorry this was updated late I had a long day and forgot to post it sooner even though I already had it finished! I'm so sorry x.x**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi / the television series are produced by Sunrise.**

A figure stood in the shadows at the end of an alley across the street, her long, turquoise blue tresses dancing along the soft breeze. She was wearing a midnight blue, short-sleeved tee shirt that barely covered the two stripes on her right arm, and black sweats that hid her dark blue cat-like tail accompanied with charcoal grey sneakers. She watched with teal blue eyes as the daiyōkai and the miko walked out of the restaurant, and had been watching them for a long time now. Well to be more correct, she had been watching _him_ the whole time. She had been waiting for him to give up his hopes after all those years, when he never did. She had longed for him before he had ever thought about the ningen in such a way, but he never accepted her marriage proposal.

She didn't understand what he saw in the tiny thing, she would grow old and wither away like the rest of the ningen trash did. It was amazing that she looked the same as she had five hundred years ago, she knew there was something off about the ningen when she first laid eyes on her. While time traveling had been a theory of hers, she had no actual _proof_ of it occurring otherwise she would have found a way to stop it sooner.

Seeing how _soft_ she made the Killing Perfection made her sick to her stomach, he would never have changed like this is he hadn't have met the miko. She was honestly surprised he even _wanted_ to try to blend in and seem _human_ , it did nothing for him at all! He was a Lord for Kami's sake! They should all be bowing down to him and doing his every command and bidding. These were his lands, and he should never have let any of this happen in the first place.

The sound of an engine pulled her from her thoughts, and she gazed over at the two standing on the sidewalk as a vehicle pulled up to them. She watched as he opened the door for the miko and waited for her to sit down before closing it and getting the keys from the valet before getting into the driver seat. She had to bite down on her tongue to keep the growl in her throat from sounding. The miko was in _her_ place at his side, and it was about time she did something about it. She waited too long to have him, she would wait no more.

Her siblings and her had twice been on a revenge spree to revive their master who was slain by the daiyōkai's father, Inu no Taishō. While the first attempt had failed, the second one went a little better at first. They had partially revived their master, who then attacked them for their souls so he would be powerful enough to defeat the daiyōkai. She managed to dodge the attack, but was shocked beyond all belief that he would take their lives so easily for his own selfish reasons. When the daiyōkai had revived them with tenseiga to weaken their master, she had decided that revenge was not what she wanted anymore. That her siblings were more important to her than having their master back if he would just sacrifice them like they meant nothing to him.

Ever since that day, she always thought highly of the daiyōkai and knew he was the one for her. She had not come across anyone else who was like him in all of her adventures, and though she knew he had not resurrected her siblings out of the goodness of his heart, the fact that he brought them back so easily and defeated their master was more than enough for her. So imagine her surprise when she finds him pining after the miko who traveled with his half brother that he hated.

She stayed there long after the pair had taken off, trying to calm the anger rising in her chest. It wasn't until a soft chime of the phone in her front pocket that she was able to breathe calmly. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID, it was her brother Shūran, probably wondering what was taking her so long to get home.

She pressed the answer button as she pulled the phone up to her ear, "Yes, brother?"

"Tōran, where the hell have you been? Were you out spying on him again? You really need to find someone else who is more deserving of your loyalty and affection." he scolded her, though she could not see him, he was rubbing his temple with his free hand in frustration.

With a frown on her lips, she replied, "I will be home shortly. He is deserving, she must have him under a spell to have him wrapped around her finger like this. I plan to put an end to it, so that he can realize I am more worthy of being by his side than some _ningen miko_."

"Tōran," he sighed, "you and I both know how strong she is, she was the one who helped kill that hanyō Naraku. She is meant to do _good_ with her reiki, I seriously doubt she would even know any spells to seduce him with"

Her frown deepened, it wasn't the first time she had heard this lecture from him and it probably wouldn't be the last, "I will see you when I get home soon."

Before he could respond, she had already pressed the end call button and returned her phone to her pocket. She wrinkled her nose as she turned back down the alley she had came from, her brother was always in her business whenever she was out of the house. It was understandable as he was the only male, wanting to be protective of his sisters, but it was still very irritating considering he did it more to her than he did to their sisters Shunran or Karan.

She mounted her midnight blue Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja, pulling on her matching helmet. Turning the key in the ignition, she revved the engine as it noisily roared to life. It was a sound she loved, hearing her motorcycle and the feeling of flying down the road on it. She took off towards their cozy, one story house on the other side of town, the only thought on her mind was searching through documents until she could find whatever spell the miko placed on the daiyōkai and finding a cure for it.

There was no other explanation for the way he had been acting, and she was determined to make things right as they were supposed to be.

~~~~ Sesshōmaru and Kagome ~~~~

"Sesshō, thank you for the wonderful day. I don't know what I did to deserve someone as amazing as you." the miko smiled as she leaned over and pressed her lips against his cheek while he was driving.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he placed his right hand on her leg, "This Sesshōmaru believes he is the lucky one to have found you again, my beautiful mate."

As they pulled into his usual spot in the parking garage of their building, his phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket, "Yes, Hakkaku?"

Though she would probably be able to hear him, the miko decided against listening in as it was none of her business. Instead, she let her mind race through the events of the day as she held the husky Sesshō in her arms with a smile on her lips. The phone call ended after a brief moment, and Sesshōmaru let out a sigh that caught her attention.

"It would seem there are troubles at our branch in New York, there are some demons who are causing issues out in America and this Sesshōmaru must leave Friday to deal with them personally. This Sesshōmaru is sorry to have on such short notice, little one." he reached out and caressed her check, a small frown on his lips.

She kept her smile from faltering, "It's okay, I understand. They need you to help keep a peaceful balance between the demons and humans since demons are more inclined to listen to a daiyōkai than anyone else. I will be okay, I promise. Shippo can accompany me to school if it makes you feel better."

"Hnn, it would help, though this Sesshōmaru will still worry about you. It is part of this Sesshōmaru's heritage, daiyōkai are very protective and possessive of our chosen mates. Nothing will change that. Let's go inside and get some rest, mate." he responded, picking up the cat he had named Kago as he opened the driver door and stepped out of the car.

They walked to the metal doors in silence, and pretty much stayed quiet until they walked inside their room. It was an uncomfortably thick blanket of silence that filled the air between them, she didn't want him to leave but at the same time she knew other people needed him. She didn't want to say anything, because she didn't want him to feel obligated to stay and comfort her when he had important things to do. Besides, it would give her more time to catch up with the kitsune, at least that's what she was telling herself to comfort her worrying mind.

Though she knew that Inuyasha was dead, something just didn't _feel_ right in her gut. It was that very uncomfortable feeling that someone gets before something bad happens, and she very much hated that feeling. The suggestion to take the kitsune with her was more to comfort herself in the daiyōkai's absence than to comfort the daiyōkai, but she would never voice it to him. She knew she was capable of being able to defend herself, but she was worried nonetheless.

The pair changed into comfortable clothing and laid cuddled in each other's arms under the blanket. The worry that had built up inside of her began to seep away as the warmth radiating off of his body comforted her. It wasn't long before the two drifted off and gave in to the calls of slumber that whispered in their minds. Unfortunately for the miko, her slumber would be short lived.

 _When she opened up her eyes she found herself staring into a pair of familiar golden ones, though these did not hold the kindness and softness they usually did when she looked at them. The pupils were wide, frantic almost, and she could see seething anger inside of them. It shocked her to see such emotions staring her back in the face from this man. His silvery white hair was in disarray, and it almost hurt her to see him this way._

 _"Who the hell are you and what have you done with Kagome?!" his voice boomed as he yelled angrily._

 _A voice that she knew was not hers replied to the hanyō, "My name is Keon, and I pity you, fool. Is your half breed nose not strong enough to have noticed the yōkai scent this body carries? You are too quick to act than to think rationally. Where have you taken us?"_

 _"WHERE IS KAGOME?" he had her pinned on the bed, his claws threatening to come out of his fingers with the rage inside of him._

 _From there, the images in her dream became distorted and skipped forward. Suddenly she was growling at the hanyō as he lunged at her with claws out to attack her. The sickening sound of the bones crunching in her jaw and feeling them being crushed between her teeth reverberated through her mind._

She found herself jolting upright and screaming as she woke from the dream. The memory was something that had haunted her since that night after Keon showed her what had happened. Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her from behind as the daiyōkai pulled her against his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head, a soft ruble in his throat as he tried to calm his mate. He didn't have to ask her what she was dreaming about, it wasn't the first time she had woken up like this in the past couple of months.

It pained him every time, and he wished that he hadn't hesitated to intervene and kill his half brother himself. It was a burden she would carry with her that he could have prevented, should have prevented. He wasn't even really sure why he had hesitated and watched instead of intervening. He could only hope that with time that she would stop having these nightmares, he worried for her health if this continued on for much longer.

 **A/N: Next** **week's chapter may be early or it may be late, as of right now I am not entirely sure. My birthday is this Sunday, and my mother will be visiting for a week since I haven't seen her in almost a year and a half. But do not fret, I will _not_ forget about my lovely readers! There will be a weekly update as always!**

 **I love you guys! Thank you for taking your time to read my chapters(: stay lovely and have a great day/night!**

 **xoxo**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi / the television series are produced by Sunrise.**

They sat in an almost deafening silence as the daiyōkai folded clothes into a neat pile inside his duffel bag. The days went by faster than the couple had expected, though the day itself seemed to crawl by excruciatingly slow. It wasn't long until he was finished packing and before he zipped the duffel bag closed, he placed the black cat plush he named Kago on top of the clothes. Once it was zipped closed, the daiyōkai turned towards the miko and pulled her into his arms. She laid her head against his chest as he ran his fingers through her hair, neither of them wanting to let go.

There was an abrupt knock on the door that pulled them apart, and the daiyōkai went to look through the peep hole to see who was at the door. A soft smile pulled at the corner of his lips, and he opened the door a smidge so that the miko couldn't see who it was or the animal they had in their arms.

"Thank you Kōga," he addressed the man standing in front of him, before turning back to the miko, "Mate, come here for a moment. There is something we wish to give you."

Her eye brows furrowed, but she obliged and walked over to the door, "Okay.."

"It took me a while to earn her trust enough for me to bring her here, but we thought you might enjoy her company." the wolf yōkai articulated as the daiyōkai pulled the door open for her to see.

In his arms was the little two tailed nekomata that was the taiji's companion, and the moment it's eyes landed on the miko it mewed with delight. A gasp escaped the miko's lips as the nekomata jumped from the wolf yōkai's arms and launched itself at her. She caught it in her arms, and it rubbed it's face against hers as tears welled up in her eyes and began to stream down her cheeks.

It had never crossed her mind that she might see the nekomata again after all these years, and seeing the animal brought joy and a bit of sadness with it. The sadness she felt was knowing that her friend was gone, but she felt joy because there was a piece of the taiji that she could keep close to her.

Her legs began to shake as if they would give out on her any second, so she sat down in a chair by the table, "Oh, Kirara, it's so good to see you."

"Going through all of that trouble was worth getting this reaction." the wolf yōkai voiced, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway.

The daiyōkai nodded in agreement, "Hnn. As much as this Sesshōmaru would love to stay longer, this Sesshōmaru must hurry to catch the plane."

"Oh man, is it that time already?" the miko pouted, but obligingly got up from the chair she had plopped herself in.

The daiyōkai walked over, wrapping his arms around the miko's waist, "Hnn. This Sesshōmaru does not wish to leave your side, mate. Should you need anything do not hesitate to call this Sesshōmaru back, okay? You are more important than keeping yōkai in check, to this Sesshōmaru."

"I'll be fine Sesshō, I'm here surrounded by yōkai that you trust. Besides, between Kirara and Keon I highly doubt anyone will be able to come close to harming me." she iterated as she leaned her head against his chest.

The daiyōkai chuckled softly, "Hnn. But this Sesshōmaru is serious, call this Sesshōmaru first if you need anything."

"Alright guys, come on Sesshōmaru, don't need you missing your flight. The kit and I will make sure she stays out of trouble and harms way." Kōga announced, waving the daiyōkai out of the room.

The daiyōkai lifted her chin up with one hand, leaning his head down and brushing his lips against hers gently. Their kiss was short lived when the wolf yōkai cleared his throat, tapping a finger to his wrist as if there was a watch telling the time. The miko rolled her eyes and pulled away from the daiyōkai, pushing him towards the door. Begrudgingly, he rolled his suitcase with him as he exited the room and glanced over his shoulder at her once more.

With a sad smile on her face, she waved him off, knowing that she would be okay even though she would miss him like crazy. He closed the door behind him and followed the wolf yōkai down the hall towards the parking garage. It felt foreign to him knowing that he would be away from his mate, he had spent all that time searching for her and hoping to see her once again. He had spent the better part of the year being by her side and this would be the first time they would be apart.

~~~~ Panther Devas Home ~~~~

Tōran had lost track of how many hours she spent in the family library, searching through hundreds of books and scrolls trying to find any kind of hint as to what kind of spell the miko could have put on the daiyōkai. So far, she had no such luck in finding much of anything. There were em style="box-sizing: border-box;"possibilities/em, but none of them seemed to really fit with his recent behavior and how he carried himself around the miko. It was beginning to frustrate her to no end, and she could think of nothing else to do.

Except the one thing she was saving as a last resort - capturing the miko and either taking her life and hoping the spell wears off, or hoping that the miko will undo the spell. She wasn't quite sure which would work better, but it was a back up plan in case all else failed. It was a back up plan that she was considering to have as more of a main plan than a back up plan now that she had spent fruitless hours trying to find something relative to the daiyōkai's case.

"Why him? Of all the ningen and yōkai, why did she have to choose the Killing Perfection to bewitch? Is she mocking the fact that he em style="box-sizing: border-box;"hates/em the very existence of ningens?" the panther demoness wondered aloud to herself.

The miko was known for traveling with the daiyōkai's younger half brother, even she knew that there was em style="box-sizing: border-box;"something /emgoing on between those two. Was the miko trying to get back at the hanyō for the times he ran to the clay body of the dead priestess? Did the miko even em style="box-sizing: border-box;"care/em about the daiyōkai and what was best for him?

The panther demoness was pulled from her mind of swirling thoughts when there was a knock on the library door. Before she could give a response, the door swung open to reveal her fiery, red-headed sister Karan whose tail swished in the air behind her. Karan made her way over to where Tōran had been sitting behind a desk with scrolls and open books strewn across it.

"Shūran wanted me to grab you for dinner, and to tell you to stop whatever nonsense this is. There are so many other men out there Tōr, why do you have to be fixated on one who is already taken?" Karan bemused, curious as to what her sister was thinking.

Tōran frowned as she stood up from the desk, "Just because he is taken now, does not mean that it was willingly. Come on Karan, do you really think that Sesshōmaru would _actually_ love a ningen? Sesshōmaru has always _hated_ them, he did not care if they died and he would kill them without hesitation. So why the sudden change, unless he was put under a spell?"

"People change Tōr, it _has_ been almost five hundred years and that is a long time. While I am not saying that is the case here, I em style="box-sizing: border-box;"am/em saying to loosen up a little bit every now and then. You should not be cooped up in the dusty library over someone who probably is not worth it. There are hotter guys out there, ya know." Karan proclaimed, ushering her sister out of the library and towards the kitchen where the scent of freshly made dinner wafted from.

The mouth watering, delicious scent of the miso soup and sashimi infiltrated Tōran's nostrils and she almost ran over her sister on her way to the kitchen. Shūran's cooking was to _die_ for, there was not anything she had ever had that came close to her brother's cooking. Fast food and eating out at restaurants was never the same for her siblings and her once Shūran took up culinary arts. It also saved them a lot of money by staying in and eating, considering Shūran always made more than enough to have left overs the following day.

Shūran looked up as Tōran practically stumbled into the kitchen, a small smile pulling at his lips "Nice of you to rejoin the land of the living Tōran, eat up, there is plenty to go around."

She plopped herself into one of the unoccupied chairs, Karan following suit and sitting in the last empty chair next to her. With everyone seated, they held hands and took a moment to say grace. They were thankful to still be a family, especially after their master had turned on them and tried sacrificing them as if they were nothing more than cannon fodder for him. They were also thankful to have made it so far, they knew many yōkai who could not survive the present conditions whether it be that they were hunted down by ningen or other yōkai trying to keep a safe balance between ningen and yōkai.

"Thank you for dinner Shūran, I did not realize how hungry I was until the aroma hit me in the hallway." Tōran proclaimed, already in the process shoving a spoonful of miso in her mouth.

He shook his head at her table manners, "You are very welcome Tōran, but you really should not talk with your mouth full. You know this."

"Hungry." Was all Tōran could manage while trying to keep the food inside her mouth from falling out

Sunran and Karan rolled their eyes, Tōran had the worst table manners out of all the siblings and they all knew it. She was always making a mess of her food, getting it either all over herself or the table and chair she sat on. Needless to say, at least one would know when she enjoyed the food, because if she didn't like the food it wouldn't be all over the place to begin with. She was the type to speak her mind about how the food tasted like crap, and then leave to go get something else to eat.

"Apparently, there's been reports of yōkai killing ningen out in America recently. They must not know the rules and who gets sent if the rules are not followed. Or, they are foolish enough to think they will not be apprehended." Sunran wondered aloud to her siblings, having heard the news earlier that day.

Karan raised an eyebrow, "Pfft. I really doubt that someone could be that foolish, let alone uninformed about the Killing Perfection. He has had to go out and apprehend yōkai before and has made examples of them. Either they live under some seriously huge rock, or they are trying to provoke him."

"For what purpose though? Nothing good comes from a pissed off daiyōkai, let alone a pissed off son of Inu no Taishō." Sunran countered.

Karan shrugged her shoulders, leaning the chair backwards and balancing it on two legs, "Who knows? I suppose we will find out when the situation is dealt with."

Tōran kept quiet as she continued eating her dinner, this was news she had not heard of yet and it could work in her favor. Knowing the daiyōkai would have to go out of town to deal with the problem, that would give her a few days at the very least to be able to get the miko to reverse whatever spell she had on him. She hoped that it would be enough time, otherwise she would have to resort in killing the miko with fingers crossed that it would do the trick and he would be his normal ningen hating self again.

 **A/N: Hey guys! I finally got around to finishing up this chapter. I know some of you have told me not to apologize, but I feel the need to anyways while I update you on what's been going on.**

 **I'm really sorry that this week's was super late. Like I had said previously, my mother would be visiting for a week. She left on Wednesday in the afternoon, and then I had to get sleep for work that night. I haven't been feeling good since she left, so that's what took me so long to complete this update. I will start working on next week's update and hope to have it on time, or a day late maybe.**

 **As always, thank you for taking the time to read my chapter updates(: it means the world to me that people like my writing. I hope you guys have a lovely day/night wherever you are! Stay lovely and don't be a silent reader 3 your input gives me motivation to keep going!**

 **xoxoxo**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi / the television series are produced by Sunrise.**

The weekend crawled by like a snail, so when Monday morning came around the miko was actually _excited_ to get up and be going to school. She was already up and ready by the time a knock came from the door to the room she shared with the daiyōkai. When she opened the door, she came face to face with a familiar pair of emerald green eyes and fiery hair tied up in it's usual pony tail with a teal ribbon.

"G'mornin Shippo!" the miko smiled a little too cheerfully.

The kitsune was dressed in black dress pants, a white collared shirt with a striped tie that matched the bow tie around her neck, and a dark blue blazer. It was the standard male uniform for her school, and she was actually impressed that he got his so quickly. They had only just signed him up for the school on Friday afternoon, usually uniforms took at least a week to come in.

He flashed a smile back at her, "Morning Kagome, how are you holding up?"

"I'm doing okay, ready to not be cooped up in this box all day." she chuckled softly, her smile having faltered for only a split second during her response.

Whether he noticed or not, he said nothing about it. Instead, his attention was brought to the mewing nekomata that lounged on the bed. She was voicing her obvious irritation at being woken up early in the morning with the chatter. The kitsune padded his feet towards the bed and scratched behind one of the nekomata's ears, earning a happier mew from her.

A shrill ringtone turned his attention away from the nekomata, and with his free hand he pulled out his cell phone, "We should probably get going, don't want to be late for my first day of class."

He held the door open for her as she slung her book bag over her shoulder and made her way to it. They walked down the hall towards the doors that lead to the parking garage, the kitsune leaning over to the eye scanner and placing his hand on the scanner at the same time. Within seconds, the doors slid open and they stepped out into the garage. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and clicked the unlock button, the lights of a blood orange Ford Mustang GT flickered in response.

The miko chuckled softly, "Nice car Shippo."

"Thank you, she's my baby." he grinned, flashing his pearly white teeth.

The kitsune opened the passenger door for her, letting her get inside and closing it before going to the driver's side and sliding into the seat. When he turned the keys in the ignition, the car quite literally _roared_ to life. He backed up out of the parking spot and turned towards the exit, making his way up several levels to get outside of the underground parking garage.

"So..uh...which way are we going exactly? I wasn't paying attention when we went the first time to get me signed up for classes." Shippo asked sheepishly, his cheeks taking on a pink tinge.

Kagome shook her head, "Turn right, I'll lead you the way from here."

After several minutes, they finally made it to the high school campus and parked in a student parking spot. They had made it just in time to be able to get to class before the bell was supposed to ring to signal the start of the day. As they darted through the halls to class, many heads turned their way, girls swooning over the kitsune and shooting the miko glares. They had all heard of a new student coming to the school, but nobody had expected the miko to be his escort around campus.

"Isn't he dreamy? You don't see guys with long hair that often anymore, and it looks really _hot_ on him." a girl said to one of her friends as the duo passed them. Her friends giggled and nodded in response.

Another girl glared at the miko, "She's so lucky, she probably doesn't even realize it."

The miko ignored all the comments she was hearing with her heightened senses, instead worrying about making it to class on time while everyone else was loitering around watching them. The pair finally made it to their first class together, the miko taking her normal window and the kitsune taking the seat behind her as the shrill sound of the bell rang. Whispers slowly hushed around the class as the teacher cleared his throat, effectively shutting down the gossip.

"Settle down, I understand it can be very exciting to have a new student but we need to focus. As it is the second half of the school year, we do need to be preparing for finals in a few short months. We still have a bit more to learn from the book, so let's get to it shall we? Today we will be learning more about the final battle between the miko and her friends against the evil hanyō Naraku." the teacher announced, beginning to write on the white board.

The kitsune muttered quietly under his breath, "Worst day of my life, my mom was taken away from me and I lived without her for almost 500 years"

Her heart ached as she the kitsune's words reached her ears, she knew she was like a surrogate mother to him but to hear it out loud like that hurt more than she imagined. She had missed him a lot, but she didn't realize that her absence would take the same toll as his father's death had. It was that moment that she made her resolve to make up for everything they had missed out on over the years. They would make memories that would last for years to come, and it would be like they had never been apart to begin with.

~~~~ Tōran ~~~~

 _Figures,_ the panther demoness thought to herself, _he would leave a body guard with her in his absence. No matter, I will just have to adjust my plan accordingly. This is only a minor speed bump on a straight road._

She had watched the two walk around the school campus as the day went on, trying to figure out when a good opening would be. She dare not try to snatch her from the campus, as there were too many witnesses as well as a body guard. The miko had never really changed her daily routine, so it came as a surprise when the panther demoness found that the miko had a demon at school with her. It was even more of a surprise to find that it was the kitsune, the one who had been practically glue to the daiyōkai's side for the last couple hundred years. Even she knew that the kitsune had taken up training under the daiyōkai, and was pretty much the beta to the daiyōkai's alpha in the 'pack'.

 _She is due to visit her mother soon, there should be a chance to grab her then, if they do not sleep in the same room. There will not be any chance when they get to the company building, as I am not registered in the system and cannot enter._

Sighing, the panther demoness turned around and began walking to her midnight blue Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja. She had some grocery shopping to do for Shūran, and would need to get that over with soon before he called to bug her again. He always did know how to get on her nerves when she needed a clear head, and it annoyed her to no end. It seemed as though he was always sticking his nose in her business but never their sisters Karan's or Sunran's business.

Their sisters had lives too, she wasn't the only one. Karan was always out going to parties and being carefree, not wanting to be tied down by any hot guys but looking to have fun with them anyways. Sunran on the other hand, had her own gardening club and ran a small flower shop. While her life wasn't _super_ interesting, there were some guys who would walk into her store just to see her and pretend to be browsing through flowers.

Why couldn't Shūran be a big, protective brother to them too? He could be making sure Karan has a curfew and makes it home on time, or making sure that the creeps leave Sunran alone. Why was his nose in _her_ business? Why couldn't he be more interested in his own love life instead of hers? She knew there was a lot of women who would _love_ a guy that knows how to cook, and he wasn't half bad when it came to looks. Sure, he was on the big side but he had a lot of muscles, the only thing that really was off was his eyes but anyone could look passed them.

It wasn't long before she made it to the grocery store, and she checked her phone again for the list he had texted her. It was a short list, since he kept a lot of spices on hand at home so usually all he needed was meats and vegetables with the occasional bag of rice to replenish their stock. Today was some pork shoulder, leafy green vegetables, potatoes, and some beverages. After about fifteen minutes or so, Tōran was at the register putting the items on the conveyor belt.

The boy behind the register looked no older than seventeen, with shaggy brown hair that partially fell in front of his ice blue eyes. Wearing a light blue company tee shirt with a black apron over it, he almost blended in with the rest of the workers. _Almost._

He flashed Tōran a friendly smile as he began to ring her items up, "Did you find everything alright today, Miss?"

"I did, thank you." she replied politely, though not wanting to make small talk.

Taking the short response for the hint that it was, he didn't say anything else until he was finished ringing up the order, "Alright Miss, your total comes out to 35 yen."

Tōran fished the coins out of her pocket and handed them to the cashier, giving a small smile as she packed the items into her backpack. When she finished, she walked out the door and out to her Ninja. As she made it to her vehicle, the annoying ringtone that she had set for Shūran went off.

Sighing as she picked up the call, "Yes brother?"

"Are you finished with the grocery shopping yet? Dinner is not going to make itself, you know. You were staying out of trouble yes? Not spying on certain people you should not be spying on, right?" his gruff voice responded.

Frowning, she rubbed her temples with her free hand, "I _just_ finished, Shūran. I will be home soon so you can prepare the ingredients for dinner."

"Oh, good. Though I had expected you to already be home by now, Tōran." the change of tone in her brother's voice made the panther demoness narrow her eyes at the clouds in the sky.

She scrunched up her nose, "I will be home shortly."

Her turquoise blue tresses danced playfully in the wind as she ended the call before her brother could say anything else, and shoved the phone back inside her pocket. Turning the keys in the ignition, the vehicle roar to life and she took off towards their house. The bustling city streets filled with people and other cars blurred by until she finally made it home. Parking her Ninja in the driveway, she took off her helmet and walked to the front door.

When the door opened, she was greeted by her three siblings staring intensely at her. Two of them grabbed her by her arms and pulled her into the living room and plopped her onto the couch. She growled and shoved their arms off of her, glaring at the trio standing over her.

"What the fuck has gotten into you guys?" she said through ground teeth.

Karan shook her head, "We do not know what you are planning but you need to stop. You need to get _over_ him and look for someone else."

"Your obsession with him is unhealthy. We saw all the research you did trying to find spells she could have cast. We know that when you go out you are usually spying on them, whatever your reasons may be." Sunran chimed in.

Shūran held up a notebook that held scribbles of times and dates and routines, "We only want what is best for you Tōran, I hope you see that and understand that. We are doing this for your own good."

"Doing wh-" her inquiry was cut off abruptly as Karan smacked duct tape on her mouth while Sunran and Shūran held her arms behind her back and they dragged her down the stairs that led to the basement.

Sunran looked visibly pained, "You are staying down here until he comes back from over seas, to ensure you do not do anything stupid. You are a harm not only the miko, but yourself as well. We are just trying to help you Tōr."

They wrapped her hands together with more duct tape and hand cuffed her wrists, sitting her down on the twin sized bed that sat against the far wall. The trio walked out, leaving the light on as they locked the door and dead bolted it behind them. All that Tōran could do was sit there, glaring daggers at the door after they disappeared.

 _They do not understand. But they will. They will see that I was not wrong. They will regret doing this. I_ _ **will**_ _get out and I_ _ **will**_ _end the spell she has on him and he_ _ **will**_ _be mine._

 **A/N: Heeeeey! Sorry this is a smidge late! Still not feeling very well and I almost had it finished yesterday! I hope you guys enjoy(: don't stay silent readers! thank you for reading my story(: you have no idea how much it means to me (whether you like the story or not, the fact you gave it a try is what matters to me)**

 **-wiggles eyebrows- How do you think Tōr's gonna get out guys? What do you think she has in store? Find out in the next chapter!**

 **xoxoxoxo**


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi / the television series are produced by Sunrise.**

She had been sitting on the bed, staring at the empty walls for what seemed like an eternity. The panther demoness was still seething about how her siblings treated her. They had brought her food and water occasionally, but she refused any of it. She would rather spend her time figuring a way out of the binds they put her in, so she could make the miko undo whatever she had done to the Killing Perfection.

She attempted, and ultimately failed to get her bound hands under her body to bring them from the back of her to the front of her. It was at an impossible angle, to where she would have to dislocate her shoulder to bring them in front of her and she didn't feel like dealing with that much pain when she had work to do. Sadly, the bed was just the mattress and a box spring underneath it. So, it wasn't like there was much of anything for her to cut the tape on.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and cleared her mind so that she could focus. She momentarily let all thoughts of anger and betrayal leave her mind. Once her mind was cleared, she focused her energy on her hands as she had done many times before. Instead of the normal, big sized icicles she was used to throwing at people, she was concentrating on creating a smaller version that could fit in the palm of her hands.

It was hard trying to focus on something that she couldn't see, but she had no other choice but to trust herself and try. There was no way she was going to just _sit_ there and wait until they let her out. She needed answers, and she _would_ get them as soon as she was free. After several moments, she felt something in between her hands. The icicle was sharp on the pointy end, which thankfully she was able to keep away from her fingers as she wiggled them to get the point to cut the tape.

In minutes, the icicle had cut a thin line through the tape, but it was enough for her to yank her hands apart and cause the tape to rip. The handcuffs were easier to take off, she simply held them in her hands and froze them before snapping them to pieces. Then she ripped the piece of duct tape from her mouth, a scowl firmly planted on her face.

 _I wonder if they were smart enough to barricade the door._ she thought to herself as she made her way up the stairs.

Placing her hands on the door, she froze it too and kicked it, shattering it to pieces. The absolute silence in the house told her that nobody was home at the moment, otherwise someone would've already been in the hallway to stand in her way. She padded her feed across the carpeted floors as she made her way to the front door. When she opened the door and looked at the empty driveway, she couldn't stop herself from growling in frustration.

"They _touched_ my _baby_. It's one thing to lock me up. It's another to touch my Ninja, let alone _MOVE_ it." she said through gritted teeth, "I guess I will have to do this the _hard_ way then."

Trying not to tap into too much of her yōkai speed, the panther demoness took off in the direction of the Higurashi Shrine. Thankfully, it was dark out so nobody would really notice, but she wasn't going to take any chances. She just silently hoped that she didn't miss the miko's stay at her family shrine while she was locked up. Then she would _really_ be pissed off at her family for sabotaging her plans. They clearly didn't understand why she needed to do this, she was trying to _save_ him whether he knew it or not.

It took longer than usual, but finally she was climbing the stairs of the Higurashi shrine and taking several steps at a time. Using her strong senses of smell and hearing, the panther demoness was able to pick up that there were four people inside as well as a little feline. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips, this meant she hadn't missed her chance. She continued to slowly make her way towards the house on the back of the property, sticking close to the shadows to stay hidden.

She was able to discern exactly where in the house the different bodies were, and followed the familiar scent of the miko towards a window of a room on the second floor. Perching herself on a branch in a nearby tree, she was able to look into the window and saw the miko laying in the bed. After several moments, she knew the miko was asleep.

 _Now is the best opportunity._

As the panther demoness launched herself from the branch towards the room, she was tackled mid-air by someone. She growled at them, only to be surprised to hear a menacing growl in return. It was then that she looked down and _smelled_ who it was, noticing that it was similar to the miko's, but it wasn't the miko.

~~~~ Mrs. Higurashi ~~~~

After the situation with the hanyō several months prior, she had been doing nightly rounds of the shrine grounds to make sure it was clear of other yōkai. Especially if her daughter was staying at the shrine, she didn't want to take any chances anymore when it came to her children's safety. She had just finished her rounds for the night and had settled in her bed when she noticed something was off.

She could practically feel the anger radiating off of whoever was approaching the house, and she had a gut feeling that something was going to happen. She quietly slipped out of her room, staying downwind and out of sight while she transformed. Though it was an almost indiscernible sound, she had heard a branch creak ever so slightly near the front of the house. She prowled around the corner, crouching close to the ground and taking cautious steps forward.

When the front of the house was in sight, she saw the outline of a woman standing in the tree looking into her daughter's window. All her mother instincts kicked in the moment she saw the figure begin to propel herself towards the window. It happened so fast that she nearly scared herself when she launched herself at the woman mid-air. The woman dared to growl at her, and she growled back with such ferocity that the woman turned to look down at her.

It was then that she saw the pointed ears of the woman she now had pinned to the ground, and the slim tail that manged to poke its way out of her clothes. The woman was definitely another yōkai, and whatever business she had was probably anything but pleasant for her daughter. The woman summoned icicles and aimed them at her, but she quickly put a shield of reiki where they would have hit.

While the woman laid there stunned in silence, she took her chance to transform back to her human form and chained the woman to the ground with her reiki covering the woman's hands. It was just as the reiki was in place that the woman snapped out of whatever stupor she had been in and she growled, trying to break free but hissing as the reiki touched her skin.

"What business do you have with my daughter, panther." she looked down at the woman, her coffee brown eyes narrowed.

Scrunching her nose, the woman spat, "I came to find out what she did to the daiyōkai. He has never liked _ningen_ , let alone a hanyō pup."

"Do not talk down on other species." she said through gritted teeth, tightening the hold her reiki had on the panther demoness in front of her, bringing another string of hisses out. "My daughter is not a hanyō. You would do well to realize just what family you decided to mess with."

Growling, the woman replied, "Oh? And what pitiful wanna-be yōkai family is this? You live among _ningen_ and live like them too. You play _nice_ with them like you are actually _friends_. Why do you not live amongst your own kind if you are yōkai?"

"My late mate was a ningen, and he loved me even after knowing what I was. My family has generations of women that are yōkai and miko mixed together. I am sure the surname Kishimoto is not lost upon you, or maybe you are just the bottom of the barrel filth trying to climb your way out." she frowned at the woman.

The woman's eyes widened slightly, "No! That family was a em style="box-sizing: border-box;"myth/em. There was never any evidence of that family existing! It's _impossible_."

"All evidence was wiped from history to keep the family safe through generations. Mitsuko Kishimoto was my great, great, great grandmother. It has passed down from generation to generation, all of us having girls for our firstborn. Though I am the first to have a second child, a son nonetheless. We are still unsure if he has inherited the genes. So tell me again, what your business is with my yōkai daughter."

Scoffing, the woman turned her head haughtily, "Whether or not what you say is true, she had him wrapped around her fingers before any of this yōkai nonsense was brought about. There is no way such a powerful daiyōkai would stoop so low to love a _ningen_ and not care about the possibility of hanyō pups."

"Then you don't know him like you think you do, Tōran. I remember you and your family, I remember how your so called master was impatient and would rather sacrifice his most loyal comrades for his own personal gain in attempt to defeat Sesshōmaru." her daughter's voice came from her now opened bedroom window, "I thought you were stronger and smarter than this but maybe I was wrong about you. I never asked for his love, I never pined after him the way that you are like a sad, lost puppy. I had a purpose, and I intended to fulfill that purpose to the best of my ability. Which I did do, and why I am here in my time and had disappeared from the feudal era when we killed Naraku. If you really think that I did anything to force him to love me or fall in love with me, you are sadly mistaken. I was just as surprised as you are, hell I even thought the same way, that he could never love a ningen like me. But he _did_ , and he _does_. He did before we both found out that I am half miko ad half yōkai, and does even after. Believe it or not. Talk to him yourself if you want. But you will not come after me or my family in our our home for your petty thoughts and fantasies."

Her daughter gracefully jumped from her two story bedroom window, transforming and landing on all four paws in front of the panther demoness. If ever she thought that she could never be more proud of her daughter, she was wrong, because in that moment her entire being swelled with pride of having raised such a wonderful and strong person. She was prepared to fight for her daughter, but here her daughter was fighting for herself and standing tall.

In her wolf form, her daughter's fur glistened in the moonlight and she had one chocolate brown eye and one brilliant sapphire blue eye. Her daughter stood just about the same height she did when she was in her wolf form. Her daughter tilted her head back as if to howl, but no sound came out of her mouth. Instead, a beam of lavender light shot into the sky towards the stars. Moments of silence went by, and it seemed as though nothing would happen.

Soon, she saw a flash of white in the sky, barreling towards them like a missile. The closer it got, the more she saw of it and realized what it was. Or, who it was to be more precise. The daiyōkai himself was flying at them on his yōkai cloud, worry showing on his masculine features. He landed in front of her daughter and gave her a once over to make sure she was unharmed before looking at their captive.

"What is the meaning of this?" he inquired, golden eyes narrowed dangerously as he vaguely remembered the woman on the ground.

She nodded to the mated pair, "She does not believe that you love Kagome. She thinks that you are under some kind of spell."

"You think that someone could dare put a spell on this Sesshōmaru without him realizing it? You are more a fool than this Sesshōmaru thought you were for following a master who would kill you without a second thought."

 **A/N: Hey guys! This chapter was actually finished and updated on time! Yay Im back on track(: How do you guys think they are going to deal with pesky Tōran? Let me know(: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I figured Mama Higurashi should have a bit of action herself(:**

 **As always, thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my chapters! I hope you guys have a wonderful day/evening wherever in the world you are. Stay lovely(:**

 **Also, thank you for the well wishes! I am feeling much better now! 3**

 **xoxoxoxoxo**


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi / the television series are produced by Sunrise.**

Karan, Sunran, and Shūran had been out o the balcony of a restaurant eating dinner together when they had suddenly seen a beam of light shoot straight up into the sky. They looked at each other, panic filling their thoughts as the slapped some bills on the table and dashed out of the restaurant. They had seen that familiar color of light before, and it probably didn't mean something good was happening if it was in the middle of the city at night. Sunran and Shūran hopped in the family car, while Karan put on her sister's helmet and jumped on her Ninja.

The trio made a beeline straight for where the light had been, and speeding the vehicles faster when they saw a flash of white dashing through the sky. It seemed as though time crawled by slowly as the town blurred passed them, yet it was only mere minutes if that. When they neared their destination, their fears were confirmed when the Higurashi Shrine came into view. The only person stupid enough to invoke the wrath of anyone was their sister Tōran.

The three siblings climbed the stairs, taking multiple at a time until they reached the top and made their way towards the back of the shrine. They could _feel_ the anger radiating off of the daiyōkai, though his aura was backed by the reiki of both the miko and surprisingly her mother. They were not aware that the mother had any powers, and were taken aback when they sensed her reiki. Not too surprisingly though, was that Tōran was the center of attention having been pinned to the floor with reiki.

"Damnit Tōr, you couldn't just leave it alone could you?" Karan sighed, shaking her head at her sister.

With an eyebrow raised, the daiyōkai turned his angered gaze at the new company, "Do you normally let your family run around the city loose like this?"

"No sir, quite the opposite actually. We had had her locked in the basement while you were away, in attempt to prevent this from happening." Shūran sputtered out, kneeling before the daiyōkai.

He tilted his head slightly, "Obviously not locked up enough. Did none of you keep watch to make sure she would stay put?"

"We had been taking turns, but then we got hungry. That was our fault. We should never have left." Sunran followed suit of her brother, keeping her eyes lowered.

Turning his attention back to Tōran, the daiyōkai frowned, "This Sesshōmaru will say this once, and if that is not enough to snap you out of this then you will perish like your master before you. This Sesshōmaru chose the miko as a mate before the hanyō Naraku perished. This Sesshōmaru will protect his mate with his life, though he knows she can hold her own very well. This Sesshōmaru cares for the miko dearly, she has proven her strength time and time again."

"No matter what was thrown at her, she prevailed. No matter how slim the odds were of success, she still gave it her all and you can bet she overcame it. She purified the world of a great evil, doing something that was forced upon her with her head held high. Not once did she turn her back on someone who needed help, she always found a way."

"Now let us have a look at you, Tōran, one of the four panther devas who were loyal to the Panther King after his demise. What have you accomplished in your lifetime? Followed a madman who would sacrifice his own followers so he could become strong, turned your tails when you saw his true nature. Lay in hiding doing what exactly until this moment? Scheming behind closed doors? You are a coward."

"You would stoop to such accusations about a woman who has done nothing but good in her life, because you want what you cannot have? So you assume that she would force a relationship, when she had already gone through a one sided relationship previously? You are a fool to think such a thing. You have this one chance that this Sesshōmaru will so _graciously_ give you, to walk out of here and _do_ something with your life. Does this Sesshōmaru make himself clear?"

Everyone collectively held their breaths, each shocked beyond belief. Neither dared to move as they waited for the panther demoness to respond. The silence between everyone was deafening and the tension was so thick in the air outside that it was almost suffocating. It was as if time stopped around them, waiting for permission to continue moving forward.

Tōran scrunched up her noise, "There is nothing I could even _fathom_ doing here among filthy _ningen_. They have disgraced the yōkai, daring to domesticate us into hiding and blending in with them in the first place. _We_ still have control of this world from right under their noses and they do not even realize it! You could rule the lands like your father, the great Inu no Taishō, once did. Why you have chosen to live among food is beyond me."

"Tōran, please just give this up and come home with us." Karan pleaded, worried with how the conversation was turning.

Tōran spat, "No. He could do so much better than _her_. She was that hanyō's _play thing_ , and even he got tired of her! Im sure even the wolf prince got in on some of that action too! Maybe they even took _turns_ -"

Before anyone could blink, the daiyōkai's golden whip lashed out from his hand and wrapped tightly around the panther demoness's throat. In mere seconds, her head was sliced clean off and rolled away from her body. The three kneeling siblings stared, with their own eyes practically bugging out of their skulls, at the head with it's mouth open in mid sentence and anger still in her teal blue eyes. Even the miko and her mother were so stunned that they hadn't removed their reiki that held down the body.

Although it was a grim end for their sister, they knew one day that big mouth of hers would get in her in more trouble than she could handle. They just hadn't guessed that it would have been so soon.

"Take her remains and leave. It would be in your best interest to not follow in your sister's footsteps." the daiyōkai announced before turning to the miko and wrapping his arms around her.

Shūran picked up their sister's decapitated body with the help of Sunran while Karan picked up her head, closing her sister's eyes and mouth as she walked with her siblings to the family car. Karan rode her sister's Ninja back to the house while her brother and sister had a very quiet ride home. When they trio were finally all home, the sisters set about cleaning up the blood while their brother began digging a grave in the backyard.

For awhile everyone was quiet as they worked, grim looks sat upon their faces. Time crawled by like a snail crossing the road, and when everything was finally done they sat in the backyard staring at the 8 foot deep hole in the ground. Tōran was laid next to the hole on top of her favorite lavender colored blanket, and the three siblings bowed their heads. Silently they said their goodbyes, letting minutes pass by before any of them moved.

Shūran wrapped their sister up in the blanket and lowered her into the hole. Once she was at the bottom, the three siblings each picked up a shovel and began filling the hole back up. With the three of them working, it didn't take long to put all the dirt back and then they patted it down so that it was smooth and flush with the rest of the ground. Sunran had made a small grave stone out of clay earlier, and engraved Tōran's name across the front side, that she now placed where their sister's head rested below ground.

~~~~ Higurashi Shrine ~~~~

The daiyōkai had helped the miko and her mother clean up the bloody mess he had made on their floor, as well as made some green tea for them to drink since it was clear none of them would be going to sleep soon. Taking a seat next to the miko, he rested a hand on her leg as he leaned back in the chair. Her mother quietly sipped tea, holding the small cup in both of her hands.

Mrs. Higurashi cleared her throat, "Thank you Sesshōmaru, for everything and for tonight. While I had no doubt that we could handle it, watching you stand up for my daughter means more to me than you could ever know. Not only that, but you have been extremely patient with her. You waited for almost five hundred years for a chance to meet her again, you even spent time going out on dates with her and getting to know each other. I can't think of anyone else in the world I'd want my daughter to give her heart to, I'm eternally grateful that you're in her life."

"If given the same situation, this Sesshōmaru would wait for her all over again. She was worth waiting for, she deserves to be treated far better than she has been in the past. It was quite fitting that such a beautiful person held the Shikon no Tama within her body and was tasked with guarding it. By far, of any creature and human being this Sesshōmaru has crossed paths with, she is the _purest_ of them all and this Sesshōmaru will never take that for granted. Kagome truly is one of a kind." the daiyōkai smiled, gazing at his lovely mate.

Mrs. Higurashi beamed at the pair, "So, dear, when is the wedding?"

"Mom!" Kagome practically choked on her tea, "Is this really the time to be discussing that?"

With a sly smile, her mother raised an eyebrow, "Were you planning on discussing it with me any time soon?"

"Well.." Kagome put her cup of tea back on the table and scratched at the back of her head, "it hadn't really crossed my mind yet. I was more focused on getting through his trip to America first, but then all this happened. Honestly, I wasn't really thinking when I threw out a signal for him to come, I don't even know if his work over there is done yet."

The daiyōkai put on his usual mask of seriousness, "Everything was chaotic when this Sesshōmaru arrived, the local authorities were calling in government agencies to look into the recent string of crimes. There was talk of demons among them, and it took awhile to clean up all the tracks and find the demon responsible. Essentially, the work out there is done now, this Sesshōmaru would have been on his way home soon."

"Well there you go, dear. With everything settling out, how about we discuss it now? Did you want to have a big wedding with lots of people? Maybe just a small one of friends and family, humans and demons? Maybe one for just humans?" Her mother continued, eager to help plan her daughter's wedding.

Kagome looked thoughtful for a moment, "I would like one with friends and family, my three school friends, you, Sota, grandpa, and my demon friends too. It won't be terribly big but it won't be super small either."

"Have you thought about what kind of dress you want to wear? What flowers you would like? Have you thought about a venue to hold it at?"

Kagome rubbed her temples, "Mom, we aren't going to get this all planned out right now. We can go dress shopping this weekend, and after that we can sit down and work out the details. I don't even have a date set for it."

"The reception will be taken care of, you will not have to find a venue for that as we own a restaurant to host it at. There will be plenty of room, with the finest chefs and staff for excellent service. You deserve only the best, my beautiful mate, and this Sesshōmaru will pay for everything. For now, should we all retire to our rooms? It is getting late, and this Sesshōmaru is sure that you two need some rest."

Ushering the women up out of their chairs, he cleaned up the table and washed the dishes before following his mate up the stairs to her bedroom. He laid with his back to the wall, an arm under the pillow and used his other arm to pull her against him. She nuzzled her face against his chest, her eyelids closing as she succumbed to the pull of drowsiness. He smiled softly, resting his chin on the top of her head and closing his eyes as well.

 **A/N: And that's a wrap for this week's chapter! Now tell me what you think about it(:**

 **Chivalry isn't dead after all! haha. Anywho, are you as excited as I am to see how their wedding comes out? I'm sitting here getting all giddy just thinking about how I'm going to write that!**

 **As always, thank you for taking the time to read my chapters, it means the WORLD to me. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I look forward to hearing from you all! Don't be silent readers(: Enjoy the rest of your morning/afternoon/evening.**

 **xoxoxoxoxo**


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi / the television series are produced by Sunrise.**

"I want her to be there too Sessh, she's part of your family." the miko chided the daiyōkai who seemed to have no intent on talking to his mother.

The daiyōkai scrunched his nose, "Even if this Sesshōmaru _desired_ to speak with his mother, he has no idea where she even resides these days. She has not made any appearance since the last time this Sesshōmaru saw her, before the hanyō Naraku was defeated."

"Isn't there anything you could try? It would mean a lot to me to have her there, even if only for a short time." she pleaded.

The daiyōkai sighed, rubbing his temples, "There is _one_ place this Sesshōmaru can think of, she used to have a castle in the skies. _If_ it still stands and _if_ she still resides there, this Sesshōmaru will _attempt_ to persuade her into making an appearance at the ceremony."

"Wooah! A castle in the sky? That's pretty cool! Thank you Sessh for trying for me." she got up from her seat across the table, walking over to him and pressing her lips against his.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, the daiyōkai pulled his mate into his lap and covered her face with soft kisses. He was trying to make amends for being difficult, he knew she was staying strong. The last few days since their visit at her family shrine had been stressful with decision making for the wedding. The miko's mother kept firing question after question to make sure the couple were on top of things.

Asking things like what kind of theme they wanted, were they going for a traditional shinto wedding or a western kind of wedding where she would have a white gown instead of a kimono. Would they prefer to say vows or go for the traditional San san ku do, did they want to have a yuino or not. The subject of the traditional yuino was what had brought up the subject of the daiyōkai's mother being invited. Being curious by nature, the miko, who had never met his mother before, jumped at the opportunity. Whether or not she would agree to a yuino didn't matter, what would matter was being able to meet her if she did attend the wedding.

Later today, the miko would be going with her mother for dress shopping. The couple had settled on doing something in the middle of a traditional and western wedding. Instead of vows, they wanted to stir things up and do a traditional San san ku do. Though the miko wanted to wear a dress instead of a kimono, she was unsure if she wanted to go traditional white or go for a different color. While the miko would be going dress shopping, the daiyōkai planned on sending out invitations to the guests they had settled on inviting.

Obviously, her family was already invited, so the invitations he had to send out were to her trio of friends as well as a few yōkai whom lived in the building. The wolf yōkai and his mate, as well as their children and their pack, the kitsune, Shiori, and Myōga were the only yōkai that also had human forms that could attend the wedding. With the exception of Myōga, as he is a flea, he can still attend and be out of sight. They both wished that Jinenji would be able to attend, but they knew that he would not be able to unless by stroke of luck it was the time of month he turned human for a day. Even then, they knew he was very self conscious about it and only his mother had ever seen his human form.

The miko's phone sounded off with a light chime, and she looked at the time flashing on the screen, "Oh man! I'm gonna be late if I don't leave now!"

Scrambling off of his lap, the miko disappeared into their shared closet to throw on a change of clothes. She emerged a few moments later, wearing a light blue halter top dress that dropped to her knees and holding a pair of matching flats in one hand while she fingered through her hair with the other. The daiyōkai smiled at his mate as he took in her natural beauty, before standing and closing the distance between the couple.

"The kit offered to be your chauffeur for the day should you accept his offer, my beautiful mate. This Sesshōmaru will work on a few preparation items while you are out and about so you do not have to stress so much. Do not hesitate to call should you need anything." he placed a soft kiss on her lips, before ushering her towards the door.

She smiled, "Thank you Sessh, you're the best. I'll see you later today love."

"Anything for you, my mate. Enjoy your day"

Closing the door behind her, the daiyōkai locked it and sit back down at the table where there were papers and pens strewed across the surface. The daiyōkai set about writing elegantly on the wedding invitations, they had both agreed he had the better handwriting of the two considering he had hundreds of years of writing under his belt. They had settled for a wedding in late summer, after the school year was over and before the next one was to start. That way it wouldn't interfere with anyone's schedules since she said her friends didn't really do much over the summer, and all the yōkai invited worked under him so there was nothing to worry about as far as their ability to attend was concerned.

He would have to remember that when he dropped off invitations, he would need to ask for any food allergies to help with the catering decisions for the reception. He would hate to ruin the day for someone by them having an allergic reaction if it could have been easily prevented.

 **~~~~ Kagome and Mrs. Higurashi ~~~~**

The miko had taken the kitsune's offer to drive her and her mother around, it would give her mother a chance to meet her adopted grandson and spend some time with him. The three were currently on their way to the closest mall, as it had a huge bridal store and it would be a great place to start. The miko was still unsure what style of dress she wanted, let alone a color that she would want it in. Little did she know, that her mother had been preparing for this day for years and already had ideas.

It took them a good few minutes to find a parking spot, considering it _was_ the weekend which is usually the most popular time people hang out at the mall or go shopping. Once they were finally parked, the trio made their way towards the doors leading into the mall. When they got inside, the miko's mother pulled her by the arm and made a bee-line for the bridal store. The kitsune chuckled, opting to hang out at the gaming shop next to the bridal store instead of follow them.

As the chime went off when they entered, a woman seemed to pop out of nowhere to greet them. She had dirty blonde tresses that were pulled out of her face and held up in a high pony tail. The welcoming smile on her lips didn't quite make it to her emerald green eyes, but that didn't damper the cheery tone of her voice.

"Welcome to Plexus Bridal Boutique, my name is Emiko and I will be assisting you lovely ladies today. Who is the lucky lady we're outfitting today?" she inquired, flashing them her pearly white smile.

The miko's mother wasted no time in responding, "My daughter here, she has no idea what style she wants just yet. I had a couple of ideas of possible ones she might like."

With the help of Emiko, in about an hour her mother had gone through and picked out several dresses ranging in styles and color. There was a princess looking ball gown of a wedding dress, there was a strapless mermaid wedding dress, a mermaid wedding dress with off the shoulder sleeves, a halter top wedding dress, a laced long sleeve wedding dress, a spaghetti-strap with an open back wedding dress, and another strapless wedding dress.

When they were given a dressing room, her mother quickly set about helping the miko get into each dress, starting with the ball gown wedding dress. It was a silky, burgundy colored dress with a sweetheart neckline that hugged her chest and sides, before flowing out in effortless ruffles to the ground. There was intricate floral embroidery across the torso and along the edges of the layered ruffles. After zipping up the back of the dress, her mother stepped back and had the miko twirl around in the dress.

"What do you think dear?" her mother asked, gazing at her through her reflection in the middle mirror in front of them.

The miko gave herself a once over in the different angled mirrors, "It's pretty and all, but I feel like it's too poofy and maybe a little heavy? But I do like the color and the embroidery."

After helping her daughter get out of the ball gown dress, the miko's mother helped her into the halter top dress. It was a wine colored dress that hugged her curves and dropped just before reaching the floor. The skirt portion of the dress was made of a few layers of tulle fabric, keeping the dress a light weight feeling in comparison with the ball gown dress. A plum colored ribbon sat where the tulle met the satin torso, neatly gathered in a bow in the back of the dress. There was a little bit of floral embroidery on the torso along the front, not too much and not too little.

"I like the style of this one better than the ball gown for sure, but I still want to try on the other dresses if that's okay with you?" the miko said as she looked herself over in the mirrors again.

Simply nodding, her mother went back to helping her in and out of the dresses that she had picked out for her. It seemed like forever went by, and when they finally finished and she saw the time, they had spent about five hours trying on dresses. Needless to say, her feet were aching from standing for five hours straight. She had stuck with her decision of the halter top dress, but asked for it in the cherry red color instead of the wine color and a scarlet ribbon instead of a plum ribbon.

The miko texted the kitsune, as she was unsure where he had gone off to while they were looking for dresses, and let him know that they were done and headed towards the food court. They bought bento boxes with rice, teriyaki chicken, and some steamed vegetables, before finding a table to sit and eat at. The miko tried not to scarf down her food, though she was practically starving, as she didn't want to be chastised for lack of manners by her mother.

"What have you been up to Shippo?" the miko inquired after swallowing her food.

The kitsune shrugged, "There was a gaming store next door, I was looking at consoles and new games that had come out. There were some consoles that were already hooked up and some demo games inside them so I tried a few of the single player games since nobody else was really there to play the other games with."

"I'm glad you found some entertainment, I was wondering where you had been since I didn't see you come in with us." she replied.

He gave a small smile, "I figured you two didn't want me getting in the way, but I also didn't want to be too far. It was just convenient enough that there happened to be a gaming store next door. It makes me wonder if they did that on purpose."

"It's possible, but normally the grooms don't come with the brides when looking for gowns since its superstitiously bad luck for a groom to see his bride in her wedding dress before the wedding." she chuckled.

The kitsune shook his head, "People actually believe in that? That sounds absolutely ridiculous."

 **A/N: Annnnnnd that is where I'm going to leave this chapter off on!**

 **-SIDE NOTE-**

 **HAPPY HALLOWEEN MY LOVELY READERS! Honestly, when I planned on updating on Wednesdays, I didn't even look at dates. It just so happens this week's update is on Halloween! You guys go out there and have fun, live a little. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do(;**

 **-END NOTE-**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I had to do quite a bit of research looking into this kind of stuff since I wanted to integrate a bit of the culture into the wedding so it wasn't a stereotypical 'western' wedding. I still have more researching to go for the upcoming chapters though lol!**

 **In case you were wondering, San san ku do translates literally to "three, three, nine times" and is a tradition where there are 'cups' of sake that are stacked on top of each other. The 'cups' are called sakazuki but look more like shallow dipping bowls, and are stacked with the small size on top, the medium in the middle, and the large one on the bottom.**

 **The top cup represents heaven, the middle one earth, and the bottom one represents humankind. The bride and the groom take turns sipping three times from each cup. (sometimes the parents of the groom and the parents of the bride participate in this as well) By the time that they are finished, they have sipped sake three times from each of the three cups, with the total being nine times. (This is why it is called three, three, nine times)**

 **Sake may not be the best drink out there to sip but this represents the couple's marriage life not always being delightful. They will have to overcome life's challenges with the joint spirit of the san san kudo. By exchanging the nuptial sake sips –three times three-, husband and wife are a union.**

 **~ I don't like to plagiarize, the website I got this information from was /uncategorized/san-san-kudo/ ~**

 **As always, thank you for taking the time to read my weekly updates! It really does mean a lot to me. I hope you enjoy the rest of your morning/afternoon/evening wherever you are! Until next week my lovely readers!**

 **xoxoxoxo**


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi / the television series are produced by Sunrise.**

Once night had fallen, blanketing the world in its darkness, the daiyōkai stepped outside and sighed. He could only hope that his mother no longer had that castle in the sky, as it wasn't usually pleasant talking to her. Calling his yōkai cloud beneath his feet, he took off into the night sky. As he soared through the starlit sky, his silvery tresses danced in the wind behind him.

Much to his dismay, he soon came upon the familiar castle that looked just as it had almost five hundred years ago. It sat upon clouds, with a large staircase that lead to the fourth floor where he would normally find his mother sitting regally upon her red throne bordered with gold trim. The throne was empty, so he continued up the smaller staircase behind the throne that presumably led to her private chamber.

At the top of the stairs was a set of rich mahogany double doors that had intricate carvings from top to bottom, some with gold inlay. The daiyōkai reached to knock on the door, but as he reached for it the door swung open. Standing before him was a yōkai male he had never met before, wearing nothing but a pair of pants.

The yōkai furrowed his brows, "Who the hell are you?"

"You should not be the one asking questions here, this Sesshōmaru does not take kindly to rude strangers, especially in his mother's estate." the daiyōkai responded, his golden eyes narrowing at the male in front of him.

His eyes widened and as if he suddenly came to his senses, the yōkai bowed graciously, "My apologies Sesshōmaru, your mother has spoken about you. I shall leave you two alone."

The male brushed past the daiyōkai, quickly making his descent down the stairs. The daiyōkai walked into the room, closing the door behind him as his eyes scanned the room. It was the first time he had been inside her private chambers, though it looked as he had expected it would. If the door was any clue, her room was just as regal on the inside as it was on the outside.

Against the far wall of the room sat a king sized, wood cherry platform bed. The mattress was covered in a plush, dark amethyst corduroy blanket topped with matching pillows. To the right of the bed was an oak desk, where his mother was currently sitting at looking just as she had the last time he saw her.

She was wearing her purple and white kimono with green and yellow butterfly designs on it, with a dark blue outer wrap that had a fur pelt which wrapped around her chest. At the end of her outer wrap, sat another fur pelt and she still wore the light blue necklace with the meidō stone amulet. She turned as he entered the room, giving him a small nod to acknowledge his presence.

"Sesshōmaru, to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure? You do not normally visit your mother." her light, mocking voice carried to his ears.

Keeping his stoic mask in place, he replied, "This Sesshōmaru has found a mate, who wishes to meet you and have you at our marriage ceremony."

"So, you have taken a human for a mate? How pitiful, you are following in your father's footsteps. Why could you not find a suitable demoness?" she tilted her head slightly, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.

He held back a growl, "While it was thought she was only human, it was revealed that her ancestor was Mitsuko Kishimoto."

"Oh? You believe such a myth exists? That a miko and a demon could have a child together that did not purify itself?" she inquired.

He narrowed his golden eyes at hers, "This Sesshōmaru has seen the miko transform before his very eyes as you stand before him now. This Sesshōmaru has also witnessed the miko's mother transforming. It is no myth mother. Should you choose to come, here is an invitation. Whether you come or not is no concern of this Sesshōmaru's, he merely came because his mate asked of you. Good bye mother."

He tossed an envelope at her bed, before turning and walking out the set of double doors. She made a hmph sound, waiting until he left before standing up and picking up the envelope. Inside was an invitation, and a picture of her son and a woman with raven colored tresses that fell to the middle of her back. The woman was smiling at her son, and if she didn't know any better she would have said that her son was smiling back.

"It is about time that son of mine found himself a mate, I will not live forever and I would like to have grandchildren. I guess I have no choice but to go, they should be grateful I accept this invitation. I would like to see for myself if she truly is Mitsuko's descendant. Mitsuko would be happy to see her lineage still running strong, may her dear soul rest peacefully." she spoke to nobody in particular, as she glanced at a small drawing that sat in a wooden frame on her desk.

She had lost track of the time, how many years it had been since she had last seen her dearly departed friend. She had been the one to help her friend hide her family secret, hiding every trace there was of her daughter Mio. She promised her friend on her death bed that as long as she lived, she would protect her family and her family's secret.

It wasn't an easy task at first, when people had caught wind of Mio's birth many tried to come for her. After a good bit of bloodshed and using her status as an Inu daiyōkai, she finally dissuaded all lethal threats and spread the absurdity of the idea that such a child could exist. After some time, people fell back into their daily routines and laughing off the myth that a priestess could have a yōkai child.

Logically speaking a priestess's body shouldn't even be able to survive the pregnancy or birth of a yōkai child, as a human body is still fragile regardless of the powers it holds. Also logically speaking, the priestess's powers shouldn't even allow the child to exist in her body as it's natural instinct is to purify yōkai. The fact that it was able to happen in the first place was a pure miracle, and hearing that there are surviving generations of her dearest friend actually put a small smile on her face.

~~~~ Kagome ~~~~

 _Aww man, this is going to be interesting. I hadn't really talked to them about our relationship and now here I am, about to go on a lunch date with my friends to invite them to our wedding. I wonder if they will be mad at me.._

The miko was on her way to the little cafe that they had planned on meeting up at, it wasn't far from the daiyōkai's company building so she decided she would walk there instead of ask for a ride. It was probably about two blocks or so away, and she could use the exercise and fresh air anyways. She hadn't told her friends why she wanted to have lunch with them, other than that she missed them. Which wasn't a lie, she hadn't seen them in a little while and she did miss them.

"Kagome!" Ayumi waved as called out to her, bringing her from her thoughts.

She smiled, picking up the pace to join her trio of friends at their table outside, "Hey guys, how have you guys been?"

"Ugh don't even get me started, some of the people I work with in theater don't even know what they're doing! It's such a headache trying to teach people." Eri grumbled, rubbing her temple with one hand.

Yuka chimed in, "I've been trying my hand at being a matchmaker for Ayumi, but I can't find the right guy for her yet. It's almost as frustrating as trying to talk you out of being with that two-timer ex of yours and trying to get you with Hojō."

"Yuka! We agreed we wouldn't bring him up again remember?" Eri chastised, giving her a look that meant shut up.

Kagome simply smiled, "It's okay Eri, really. I'm over him, remember?"

"Yeah, she said she was dating some new guy a little while ago didn't she?" Ayumi asked quietly.

That made Yuka smile mischievously, "How _is_ that going by the way Kagome? You haven't really talked to us about him. Is he handsome? Does he treat you good?"

"He is very handsome, and he does treat me good. I actually moved in with him a couple months ago. Mom and Sōta love him, we visit all the time." Kagome replied.

Eri leaned forward, an eyebrow raised, "Oh they do? Why haven't _we_ met him yet? Is it getting serious?"

"Yeah, why haven't we gotten to meet him?" Yuka inquired.

Kagome chuckled nervously, "Well things kind of got busy with you guys and I didn't want to intrude on your lives. But that's actually a reason why I wanted to talk to you guys today."

They all looked at her quizzically as she rummaged through her small messenger bag, and gave her weird looks when she handed each of them an envelope.

"They're invitations to our wedding next year, I wanted to be the one to tell you guys first. We can set a date for dinner so we can all hang out and you can meet him." Kagome looked at her friends, trying to judge their reactions.

Ayumi beamed at her, "Aww! You finally found someone who deserves you! Im so happy for you Kagome."

"You told him yes before we got to meet him! What if we don't like him?" Eri exclaimed with a gasp.

Yuka frowned, "I agree Kagome, we're your best friends, we should have at least got to meet him first. How long have you guys even been together anyways?"

"We've been together almost since the beginning of the school year. You guys will like him, I promise." Kagome reassured, she had already seen this as a possible scenario with how outspoken Eri and Yuka always were with her love life.

Eri wrinkled her nose, "I guess we will be the judge of that, when will he be available for dinner with us? I'll clear my schedule that evening."

"Me too, and he better not flake on us." Yuka said.

Ayumi shook her head at her friends, "Come on guys, let's not go into this already judging. We can at least give him the benefit of the doubt until he gives us a reason to believe otherwise. Why can't you two be excited for her? She hasn't even _thought_ about dating for years, let alone being serious about it."

"I'll ask him when I get back home, and I will let you all know as soon as I found out okay? Now let's order something to eat, I'm starving and I've heard great things about their yakitori." as she finished her sentence, Kagome's stomach growled a little louder than she expected.

Her trio of friends burst out into a fit of giggles, and they called a waiter over to order their food and drinks. In the downtime before the food got there, Eri and Yuka kept hounding Kagome about details of her future husband. After the food arrived, the conversation turned to catching up between the four of them, telling stories back and forth of things they had all been doing recently. They spent about an hour after finishing their food and paying the tab, talking up a storm with each other, before they hugged each other and said their farewells.

 _I'm so lucky to have such great friends. I understand that they are just looking out for my well being, though Eri and Yuka can be a bit overbearing. The best part is that, even if we go awhile without seeing each other outside of school, we pick back up like nothing ever happened. That's why I love them and am so grateful to have them by my side._

 **A/N: Hey guys! That's a wrap for this chapter!**

 **Honestly, I'm surprised I got this finished after coming home from work. I was planning on getting some sleep when I got home since I have a lot of baking ahead of me today. But I just couldn't sleep knowing if I did, I probably wasn't posting the update today.**

 **Quick note - there are only a few chapters left of this story. In the future, there may be some holiday one-shot updates, but I'm not sure I will make a part three.**

 **I am very thankful to have you wonderful readers sticking by my side through this project. When I got back into it, I told myself I would see my story through to the end. So far, I have accomplished that as TLH technically ended with the last chapter of part one. Part two is supposed to be a separate story called Affectionate Souls, but I felt that it would've been better just merging it into one full book.**

 **The reason it has only a few chapters left is because I will be working on an original story that I have been dying to start, and I want to put all of my attention and efforts into that one story and see it to the end as well.**

 **If you aren't already, follow my twitter for updates on everything story related! I try my best to keep it updated.**

 **As always, thank you for taking time out of your day to read my story updates(: it truly does mean the world to me. I hope you enjoy the rest of your morning/afternoon/evening.**

 **xoxoxo**


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi / the television series are produced by Sunrise.**

Today was the big day, and she was as nervous and stressed as ever. She had been stressing over little details of everything, making sure people were sat in their respective areas to keep drama and trouble out of the day. The florist did a wonderful job on the flowers, though they came in last minute before the wedding and that's why she had been on edge. She, thankfully, didn't have to worry about catering since the daiyōkai had it all covered.

The rehearsal dinner the evening before had gone by smoothly, and she was surprised when she saw his mother. Without being introduced, she knew just from looking at the woman that it was his mother. It wasn't just because they had the same hair color, or that she stood out compared to the rest of the crowd. The woman was very proper and elegant, much like the daiyōkai always was, but the biggest hint was the woman's aura. It didn't demand attention or obedience, but it still had a powerful feel to it."

Currently, she was sitting in her wedding dress, with one of those hair salon ponchos covering it while her mother was working on her hair and her friend Eri was helping her with her makeup. They would rather have been extra safe, than to be stressed out about the dress getting ruined. She had wanted her hair curled, with some of it pulled back and held with a flower pin that her mother had given her. Eri had brought in a whole makeup box and was working on giving her a soft smokey eye look, since she hadn't wanted to wear much makeup in the first place.

"I'm so excited, my baby is getting married today! I've waited for this moment for so long, and you're going to look so beautiful today dear. Everything will be just fine, I promise. You have no need to be so nervous. The flowers were just a little hiccup, but everything else is already set up." her mother smiled.

She was focused on sitting still so that Eri wouldn't mess up and nag her about moving, "I know I don't have a reason to be nervous, but I still am, it's a big day mom."

"You're not getting cold feet on your wedding day are you Kagome?" Eri asked, worry creasing her face as she stopped to look at her work.

She practically choked on air, "Oh, Kami, no. I would never do that to Sesshōmaru, he's such a sweetheart. He means the world to me, I know he's the em style="box-sizing: border-box;"one/em I could spend the rest of my life with. It's just that there's going to be a lot of people out there watching, and y'know...part of me is sad that dad isn't here."

"Oh honey, I miss your father too, but I know he would be proud of you and how far you've come. I also know your father would've taken a liking to Sesshōmaru. How about tonight, we celebrate for your father okay? He wouldn't want you to be sad on your wedding day." her mother's bright smile had faltered slightly as she talked about her late husband, they tried not to talk about him much but she knew as she said them that her words were true. Her late husband would have loved Sesshōmaru, just as she does.

Eri fanned her eyes, "Come on guys, stop, you're going to make me cry and then we're all going to cry, and then I'm going to cry even harder because our makeup will get ruined and I have to spend another three hours on all of us."

"Stop being so dramatic Eri," Kagome chuckled, "we'll save the crying for after the reception."

With an eyebrow raised and a sly smile on her face, Eri shook her head, "You will not be crying after the reception, you have other business to attend to."

"Eri!" Kagome's cheeks flushed a deep red as she playfully smacked her friend's arm.

Hands up as if to surrender, Eri replied, "Alright alright, let me finish your makeup, the ceremony is supposed to start soon and we can't have the bride being late to her own wedding."

As Eri was finishing up with eyeliner and mascara, Kagome's mother was pulling some of Kagome's hair pack and securing it in place with a few bobby pins before clipping the flower pin in with the bobby pins. When Kagome opened her chocolate brown eyes and looked in the mirror, a gasp escaped her lips. She was never one to really wear makeup, but Eri had made her look so beautiful it made her want to cry. She didn't dare to though, ruining such a masterpiece was the last thing she wanted to do.

Music started to carry into the room, signalling that it was time for the bridesmaids and the groomsmen to get ready to walk in. Kagome shoo'd them out of the room so they could parade their way in with the guys. Once the door closed behind them, she stared at it and took deep breaths. While she was still nervous, she was more happy and excited, and ready to sit down and eat because she hadn't eaten all morning. After a few minutes, as the song was about to come to an end, she stepped outside of the room and into the hallway.

Sota was standing there waiting for her, and flashed her a brilliant white smile, "You look great today sis. Are you ready?"

As she nodded her head, he held his arm out to her and she wrapped her arm in his, her free hand holding her small bouquet of pink roses. That was when the music changed, and she watched as everyone stood up and turned to watch her.

"Friends and family, we are gathered here today to unite Sesshōmaru Taishō and Kagome Higurashi in marriage. With great reverence, we come together to celebrate the love and devotion shared by these two children of the Universe that stand before us. We are especially blessed to be joined today by family and friends. The Bride and Groom are honored you could be here to participate in this important occasion." the officiant's voice echoed through the silent room, "Who gives this bride on her special day?"

Sota spoke up as they began taking their steps forward, "I, Sota Higurashi, do."

As she and her brother made their way down the aisle, her eyes were trained on the an standing at the alter waiting for her. She never understood why everyone stared at the bride, when they could be staring at the man with the goofy grin on his face and love in his eyes. She would keep that image of him in her mind, and she hoped that at least someone got a picture of it. How she managed to get someone like him, she would never understand but she would forever be grateful and never take him for granted.

When they reached the alter, Sota placed her hand in Sesshōmaru's, before stepping to take his spot next to their grandfather behind the groom. She smiled lovingly at the daiyōkai before they turned to the officiant.

"If anyone has cause to object to the forming of this union, speak now or forever hold your peace." the officiant stated, giving the crowd a few moments. When nobody spoke up, he continued, Marriage is a venerated institution, and one deserving of deep reverence. Today we observe the union of Kagome and Sesshōmaru Taishō in holy matrimony, a commitment they have chosen to undertake with all the sincerity that it warrants."

"While marriage is a sacred and serious tradition, it is also cause for tremendous joy. Married life is full of surprises, adventures, and memory-making – all made possible by the enduring power of love. When Kagome and Sesshōmaru Taishō finalize this union, they will begin a new life of partnership, one defined by shared hopes, dreams, and successes."

"Kagome and Sesshōmaru Taishō, as you learn to live as one; you will encounter many challenges that can help you grow. Spend time doing the things that make life precious – cooperate with each other, always make time to laugh together, and never lose appreciation for the love that you share. Remember, too, to adhere to the vows that you will make today. Seek strength from each other, give hope to each other, and let your trials help you grow together. They say love can build bridges and climb mountains — and they're right. You will find that as it grows and matures over time, your love for one another will prove both fulfilling and empowering."

"Yes, there will be challenges in life, but the strength of your bond will offer you protection against life's storms. Always make your relationship a priority, and continue to nurture each other. Through a commitment to love, and with the power of faith, together you will be able to navigate any obstacles that come your way."

"Today we begin the ceremony with a traditional San San kudo. Where the bride and the groom ceremoniously take three sips of sake from three different sized cups, and joining them in the process today will be Mrs. Higurashi and Mrs. Taishō to symbolize the joining of the two families."

Their mothers stepped forward from the bridesmaids' side, standing beside their children. Ayame made her way to the altar, pushing a small cart that had a stack of three sakazuiki, and a small kettle that held the sake. When she arrived in front of the couple, she stopped the cart and bowed to them.

"San San Kudo translates to three, three, nine times. As you know, odd numbers are considered very promising, particularly the number three. Nine is the most extreme lucky odd number, since it is three times three. There are many different beliefs to the symbolism of the San San Kudo. Some believe it represents heaven, earth, and mankind, others believe it represents the love, wisdom, and happiness which grow over time in a marriage. While some believe the three cups represents three human flaws of hatred, passion, and ignorance."

As the officiant talked, they began the tradition. Ayame picked up the smallest sakazuiki, bowing again as she handed it to Kagome who bowed in response. Ayame then picked up the kettle, tipping it twice before pouring the sake on the third tip. Kagome made the motion of holding the sakazuiki up as if to take a sip twice, before bringing it to her lips and sipping from it on the third moition and bowing again as she handed the sakazuiki back to Ayame. They repeated this until everyone had three sips from each of the three sakazuikis.

After they finished, Ayame placed the sakazuikis back in the order, bowed to the couple who bowed in back, and then walked away pushing the cart. Their mothers took their respective places at the bridesmaids' side once more, and the couple faced each other, holding hands. Mio and Aito, Kōga and Ayame's daughter and son, walked down the aisle. They both carried a pillow, with a wedding ring sitting in the center. Mio bowed as she held her pillow up to Kagome, and Aito bowed as he held his pillow up to Sesshōmaru.

The couple picked up their rings, and Mio joined her mother's side in the bridesmaids area while her brother Aito joined their father's side at the groomsmen area.

"The exchanging of wedding bands symbolize the endless, eternal love that they have for one another, and the ring is placed on the fourth finger of the left hand as it is believed to be the only finger with a direct vein to the heart."

The daiyōkai smiled as he grasped her left hand with his right, placing the 18 karat white gold sienna sapphire and diamond ring on the fourth finger of her hand. When he finished, she returned his loving smile and took his left hand in hers, placing the platinum apollo sapphire ring on the fourth finger of his hand.

When she was done, the officiant held both of their hands together, "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you, Sesshōmaru Taishō and Kagome as husband and wife, lawfully wedded before the Universe. Sesshōmaru, you may now kiss the bride."

The daiyōkai leaned down, holding her face with both hands as he pressed his lips against hers. Cheers erupted from the previously silent crowd, whooping and hollering from the guys and lots of awws from the women.

 **A/N: I PRESENT YOU THEIR WEDDING DAY! Oh my lord did I have a lot of fun researching stuff for this chapter. I quite literally looked up a website for officiants and created the whole speech for the wedding.**

 **I will leave you guys with this announcement - there will be two more chapters left of the story. I already have them sort of planned out in my head, but I don't want to spoil anything so you will just have to wait until they come out to see what happens next! BUT I promise you will love it. I do want to make note that I may be open to adding holiday one-shots, so you might get more in the future but for now it's just two chapters. I have an original story that I want to be focused on, and I can't wait to get that started.**

 **I want to thank you all for joining me on this adventure, you guys have given me such confidence in my writing. I truly do appreciate each and every one of you guys, even if you are silent readers.**

 **I hope you have a good rest of the morning/afternoon/evening! Much love!**

 **xoxoxoxoxo**


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi / the television series are produced by Sunrise.**

 **WARNING: This chapter is LEMON. That means if you are underage then you should not be reading this. This is for MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY. This chapter is going to be a whole lot of heated coitus, juicy (no pun intended) details and all. So please, spare your virgin eyes and mind, and wait for the final chapter to be released next week.**

 **I REPEAT - MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY. NO UNDERAGED READERS PLEASE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. I REFUSE TO BE REPORTED FOR YOUR NEGLIGENCE TO READ THIS WARNING THAT IS IN BOLD LETTERS.**

 **Thank you. Mature audience, you can continue reading. I hope you enjoy!**

It had been several hours since they had left the reception after the wedding, the miko and the daiyōkai were on a plane. She had insisted they travel by plane instead of his yōkai cloud, wanting to enjoy the sentiment instead of rushing to get it over with. Part of her mentally chastised herself, because the wait wasn't helping her mind from racing a thousand miles a minute.

He hadn't told her where they were going to be staying for a week for their honeymoon, and her body ached as the tension rolled through it. It wasn't just because she didn't like heights, but it was more so the fact of the events that were to come. She was anxious, anticipating the consummation of their marriage even though it would be no different than when they had mated. Muscles in her nether region were already tightening, and she was sure that he could smell the beginnings of her arousal regardless if he showed it or not.

A soft voice sounded through the intercom, "The captain has turned on the seat belt signal, we are preparing for landing. Please return to your seats and remain seated with your belts buckled and all electronics put away until we land safely. As always, thank you for flying with Tai West and we hope you have a great day."

The miko blew air out of her nose, she had been sitting in her seat the entire flight because she worried that her legs wouldn't be able to hold her up. Not to mention, part of her was scared that the daiyōkai might have followed her to the restroom. She was afraid of him not being able to control his strength, and would rather avoid all possibilities of something happening while thousands of feet in the air.

As the plane descended towards the runway, the miko felt her stomach drop and churn in her gut with the pressure change. She closed her chocolate brown eyes, her small hands gripping the arm rests of her seat. It wasn't until she felt the wheels touch the ground as the plane glided to a stop, that she opened her eyes and saw the daiyōkai's left hand grasping her right one. He squeezed it gently when she opened her eyes, his lips turning slightly in a soft smile.

He pulled the armrest up that was between them, and pulled her into his arms as his chest rumbled, "It's okay my beautiful mate, we are back on the ground. We are almost to our destination. Come."

When she had calmed down enough, he pulled her by the hand to stand up and grabbed their luggage from the overhead bin. He walked into the aisle and made room for her to walk in front of him, before following her down to the front exit that led into the airport. Once they got into the waiting area for the gates, they followed the signs towards the baggage claim area. Even though they had all their luggage, it was the quickest way out of the airport.

At the bottom of the escalator were sets of doors leading outside, where several taxis were loading or unloading passengers. As they stepped outside, a gentleman immediately took the luggage from the daiyōkai and led them towards a sleek, jet black limousine parked a little ways down. The daiyōkai held the door open for the miko to climb into the back seat, and climbed in after she was seated.

The seats were plush, soft cloth instead of the normal leather you would find inside a limousine. All the windows were tinted, even the small window that was the only thing separating them from the driver. The daiyōkai trailed his fingertips along her arms and legs, sending shivers through her already aching body. She involuntarily bit her lip, and he growled softly as he captured her lips with his.

His body was just as filled with tension as hers was, and smelling her arousal along with seeing her bite her lip wasn't helping him keep control of his actions. His inner beast wanted nothing more than to ravish her right here, right now in the back of this vehicle, but he snapped back at it. He would be more civilized than that, they had an entire week to relax together and spend as they wished. He would have more private time with her, where nobody could bear witness.

The drive to their rented house seemed to stretch for ages, though it was only minutes until they arrived. He left the driver a tip before grabbing their luggage and making his way to the front door. He had rented the only house on the beach within 25 miles, it was worth the price he had paid. The back where the master bedroom was faced the beach and the ocean, making for a very romantic scenery as it was getting late and the sun was beginning to set.

"We're finally here, my beautiful mate. This Sesshōmaru hopes that you find the place appealing." he spoke aloud as they stepped inside.

As she took in the sight of the sunset, she gasped in awe, "It's so beautiful, I love it Sesshō."

"Nothing beats your beauty." he retorted.

She blushed, playfully smacking his arm, "Oh hush."

He left the luggage by the closet, turning to his mate and wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her body against his. Leaning his head down, he pressed his lips against hers, a low growl in his throat. They had waited long enough, and he wanted nothing more than to take her while the rays of the sunset made her body glow beneath him. Before he could dominate her, she pushed him onto the bed, using her reiki to form handcuffs around his wrists and ankles to pin him to the bed.

His inner beast wanted to snarl, how dare she try to dominate him, he was the alpha male and she was his bitch. She would be punished accordingly the moment he was freed. The miko unbuttoned his dress shirt, running her fingers along the defining lines of his chest and abs. She brought her lips to his bare, alabaster skin and pressed it softly against the flesh of his neck and jawline before trailing kisses down his chest. He closed his golden eyes, relishing in the feel of her soft lips against his skin and the sweet scent of her arousal. Next, she unbuttoned and unzipped his dress pants, pulling them down slightly to reveal the hardened flesh that ached to feel her inner walls.

Leaning down, she flicked her tongue against the tip of the hardened flesh, causing the daiyōkai to arch his back as it involuntarily pulsed at her touch. Usually he was the one in charge, it was a rare occasion that he let anyone near such a sensitive area after having one too many demonesses try to mutilate it with their teeth. She then ran her tongue along the entire length of the hardened flesh, earning a growl of pleasure to escape from his lips. She planted soft kisses on the bare skin as she brought her mouth back to the tip of it.

His breath caught in his throat as she wrapped her mouth around his hardened flesh, trying to fit as much of it as she could in her mouth. Her tongue ran along the bottom of it, and the amazing feeling was almost too much for him. He went to move to pin her down, only to hiss as her reiki burned where it touched his skin. He silently cursed her for the restraints, wanting to sheath himself in her wet walls and feel them tighten around him.

His ears twitched as he heard a soft moan escape her lips, and his golden eyes shot open to see what she was doing. His eyes nearly bled red to allow his inner beast to take over as he watched her playing with herself while she had his hardened flesh still inside her mouth. Growling once more, he used all his strength and yōkai to break her reiki restraints on him. Once he was free, he quickly had her on her back, her legs pinned with one arm as he flicked his tongue over her sensitive core.

As he continued to flick his tongue, her body shuddered with waves of pleasure, causing her inner walls to become dripping wet with her sweet juice. He plunged two fingers inside her wet walls, slowly sliding them back and forth each time his tongue flicked over the sensitive nub. Her back arched as she cried out his name in pleasure, her body aching for the feel of him inside of her.

After a few minutes of this, he finally positioned himself between her legs and slowly sheathed his hardened flesh inside her wet cavern. A low growl came from his throat at the feeling of her walls tightening around his flesh, and he leaned forward to capture her lips with his. With his right hand he grasped her breast, his thumb rubbing circles around the perky, sensitive teat.

He settled into a rhythm of thrusting in and out at a semi fast, even pace as he fought control against his inner beast. Her nails dug into the bare alabaster skin on his back, drawing streaks of crimson in their path. He pulled his lips from hers, only to lean down and sink his teeth in her exposed neck bringing a loud moan from her lips. With every thrust, it seemed that her wet walls tightened around him.

There was a building sensation just below her naval, and it felt like she was about to burst. As the sensation began peaking, her walls convulsed around his hardened flesh. This brought him over the edge, and a deep growl escaped his throat as his hot seed shot out from his hardened flesh and coated her already wet walls. When they were finally able to regulate their breathing, he wrapped his arms around her and rolled onto his back.

A smirk pulled at the corner of his lips, "Do you need a break before our round two, my beautiful mate?"

"Mm, maybe a soak in a hot bath first Sesshō" she mumbled into his neck.

With a soft chuckle, he scooped her up in his arms bridal style and carried her into the bathroom, "It's going to be a very long and entertaining week mate, this Sesshōmaru has a feeling there will be lots of hot baths."

He sat her down on the counter by the sink before turning on the bathtub faucet. He sat with a hand under the running water until it was hot enough to relax the muscles, but not so hot that it would burn. After letting the tub fill up, he picked her back up off the counter and sat inside the tub with her in his lap.

Brushing her raven tresses over her shoulder, he dipped his hands in the water before he began to massage her shoulders. She closed her chocolate brown eyes, leaning her head back against his chest as she felt her muscles begin to relax. She didn't even realize that they were so tense until his expert hands were working on her shoulders.

 **A/N: I hope you heeded my previous warning about the chapter. If you didn't - shame on you. For the mature audience - I hope this chapter was better than the last lemon chapter I wrote.**

 **That's a wrap for this week's chapter(: sorry it is a bit late to being uploaded, I hope you guys enjoyed the read! Just a reminder - there is one more chapter left of this story. So next week's chapter is the "Final" chapter. Though I may or may not do holiday one shots in the future so keep an eye out for those!**

 **As always - thank you for reading my weekly updates, it truly does mean a lot to me regardless if you are a talkative or silent reader.**

 **HAPPY EARLY THANKSGIVING! Eat lots for me!**

 **xoxoxoxoxoxo**


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi / the television series are produced by Sunrise.**

A little girl with raven tresses that fell in short curls down her back ran up to the miko, tugging at her apron, "Mama! Otōto is being mean!"

"Am not! Onēsan doesn't like the game I wanted to play!" A younger boy with short, silver white hair that stopped at his shoulders came into the kitchen behind her.

"Toshiro, stop antagonizing Rin please, I'm trying to finish baking the chocolate chip cookies for tonight." the miko sighed, whisking the cookie batter.

Rin's golden yellow eyes lit up, "Cookies! I love your cookies mama, they're delicious!"

"What's tonight mama?" Toshiro inquired.

The miko shook her head, "Toshiro, I've told you at least ten times today already. It's Kinrokansha, Labor Thanksgiving Day. When we are thankful for those around us, our family and friends. I'm bringing cookies for O bāchan, Oji Sota and idaina ojīchan, and papa will be making the noribachi and rice."

"I'm thankful mama, papa and Otōto, for the roof over our heads and the food that's always in our bellies, and for the friends I've made at school." Rin smiled, flashing her pearly white teeth.

The miko smiled, "I'm thankful to have been gifted with such beautiful children, a wonderful husband, amazing family and loyal friends."

"Children, run along and play for a bit longer, when your mama is done she'll help you guys get dressed for tonight." the daiyōkai said as he walked into the kitchen, placing a gentle kiss on the miko's cheek.

Toshiro chased Rin out of the kitchen, and her shrill screams were echoed by his laughter. The miko shook her head with a loving smile on her lips. It had been almost seven years since they had been married, almost eight since she had become his mate. They had had Rin six years ago, and Toshiro followed behind by a year from his sister.

Rin was almost a spitting image of the miko, the she had the daiyōkai's golden yellow eyes. The miko always had a small tuft of her hair pulled up into a pony tail on the right side of her head, reminding her so much of the energetic, young girl she had met in the feudal era. Rin was always running around the house, and when she wasn't, she was following the miko around like a little duckling.

Toshiro took after the daiyōkai, though his hair was much shorter than the daiyōkai's and he had the miko's chocolate brown eyes. When he wasn't messing with his sister, the daiyōkai was teaching him the manners of a gentleman. The children were not shielded from their heritage, their parents had told them when they were old enough to understand that their strength wasn't the same as their friends' at school.

The miko would help Rin learn to control her reiki once her schoolwork was done, as well as teaching her how to wield a bow and infuse her reiki into the arrows. The daiyōkai was teaching Toshiro how to spar, but though they were taught about their powers, they were also taught not to use them unless it was absolutely necessary. When they were first told not to use them, of course they were curious as to why.

"Rin, Toshiro, I want you both to promise me something okay? I want you both to promise me not to use your powers or strength unless you absolutely _have_ to." the miko said as she sat with the children on either side of her.

Rin's eyebrows furrowed, "But why mama? What's the point of having them if we can't use them all the time?"

"Because, there are many people who don't have them, and they are scared of those of us who do. That's why your papa and I don't use them, and we live here among the rest of us who do. The people who don't have them are so scared of us, that they have hurt a lot of us." the miko replied, a small frown tugging at her lips.

Rin's eyes went wide, "T-they've hurt us? Because we're different?"

"That's mean!" Toshiro pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

The miko held her pinkies out to the children, "That's why I need you guys to promise, pinky promise me that you won't use them unless you have to. If you are in terrible danger and your papa and I aren't there to save you, that's the only time I want you to use your powers or strength okay?"

"I promise mama." the two said together as they wrapped their pinkies around the miko's.

They were also told never to speak about the nekomata to anyone at school, she was as feared as their powers were because she was _unknown_ and people feared the unknown. Needless to say, the nekomata basked in the attention the children gave her. The children would play with her, pet her, secretly feed her scraps of their food, and would take turns on who slept with her each night.

With the last tray of cookies put inside of the oven, the miko set a timer on the oven and turned to give the daiyōkai a quick peck on the lips, "I'll go see if I can get the kids dressed before the cookies are done Sesshō"

"Good luck, Toshiro saw his outfit earlier and he threw a fit and ran from this Sesshōmaru." he chuckled.

The miko shook her head, mumbling as she walked out of the kitchen "Of course he did, stubborn child."

"It is no wonder where he gets it from, he has a strong, stubborn mother." the daiyōkai smiled, getting the pan out to start cooking.

Taking the steps two at a time, the miko climbed the stairs and down the hall as she followed the children's laughter. She found them in the playroom with the nekomata, Rin had a feather toy in her hand and the nekomata was on her back pawing at it as Rin dangled it above her face. Both Rin and Toshiro had bright grins on their faces, anyone could see how much they adored their feline friend.

Clearing her throat, the miko spoke, "Come on Rin, you're first today, mama got you a pretty new dress to wear tonight."

Rin let out an excited squeal, handing Toshiro the feather toy before scrambling after her the miko who was walking towards Rin's bedroom. The miko held the door open for Rin, and when Rin looked inside there was a wrapped box on her bed with a bow on top. She flashed her mother her pearly white teeth before bounding towards the bed and carefully taking the wrapping and bow off of the box.

A small gasp escaped the little girl's lips as her golden yellow eyes landed on the dress. It was a cerulean blue spaghetti strap dress that had silver sequins spread along the torso, making it look like a starry night. Around the waist was a ribbon the was tied in a bow on the back side of the dress, and there was a pair of matching flats in the box as well.

"Oh mama, it's so pretty!" Rin had a brilliant smile on her face as she began to shed her pajamas.

The miko smiled, walking over to help her daughter into the new dress, "Of course it is, it had to match the pretty girl who would be wearing it tonight."

Once she finished helping her daughter into the dress, the miko brought her to the bathroom to brush out the knots in her hair. She left her daughter's hair to fall down her back, placing a small sky blue flower pin in the crown to keep some of the baby hairs from falling in her face. Then, she helped Rin into the flats that matched her dress before sending her to go show her father how pretty she looked.

With determination on her face, the miko closed her eyes and reached out with her reiki to find her son, no doubt in her mind that he was trying to hide from her. She found his aura flickering, and she narrowed her eyes. Only the daiyōkai knew how to hide his aura even _slightly_ from her, meaning he was teaching their son to hide from her. She quietly padded her feet in his direction, a frown firmly in place on her face

"Toshiro. I know you are hiding under there. Come out." she warned, her voice stern.

A soft hmph was made as he scrambled out from under a floor board in the closet and whined, "How do you always find me?!"

"Toshiro, I'm your mother. You can't hide from me, no matter what your father tries to teach you. He can't even really hide from me either so it's no use. Come along, you need to get dressed too. Don't you wantO bāchan to see how big you've grown?" she held her hand out expectantly.

He pouted as he put his small hand in hers, "I don't see why I have to wear a fancy outfit though. Can't I just wear some jeans and a t-shirt?"

"It's a special holiday, you can't just dress as if you were going to school Toshiro. How about this, if you be good tonight and don't mess up your outfit, we can come back and hang out with Oji Kōga, Oba Ayame and Oji Shippo?" she offered as she pulled out his black dress pants, white button up shirt, and a midnight blue bowtie.

After thinking for a few moments, he gave a slight nod, "Okay mama"

Smiling, the miko helped dress her son and made sure his bow tie was centered as best as possible. She patted his back, standing up to make her way towards the master bedroom to get changed herself for the evening as well. Walking into the closet, she pulled out a crimson red halter top dress that had green embroidery strewn across it along with a pair of scarlet red heels to go with it. When she was finished getting dressed, she turned to leave the master bedroom and was surprised to see the daiyōkai standing on the other side of the door. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him as he pressed his lips against hers.

"You look lovely as always, my beautiful mate. The children are presentable, the food is ready. Shall we take our leave?" he inquired, leaning his forehead against hers as he smiled down at her.

She smiled back at him, "Let's head on out then love, I promised Toshiro if he's good tonight that Shippo, Kōga, Ayame and their kids would come over later."

They piled into the car and the daiyōkai drove them to the Higurashi shrine. It wasn't long before they made it to their destination, and he parked by the sidewalk in front of the stairs. Rin climbed out of the car on her own while the miko unbuckled Toshiro and helped him to stand on the ground. The four of them made their way up the various flights of stairs and across the courtyard to the family house.

As Rin went to knock on the door, Mrs. Higurashi pulled it open and swooped Rin up in her arms, "My gorgeous Magomusume! You look so pretty today sweetheart. And my Mago looks so handsome! Come here!"

"Hi O bāchan!" the children said in unison, Toshiro running up to get a hug from Mrs. Higurashi.

Mrs. Higurashi led them inside the house and into the kitchen, where the miko's brother and grandfather were waiting for them. The daiyōkai placed the food in the middle of the table, before picking up Toshiro and settling him into a chair beside him while the miko got Rin settled into a chair beside her. With everyone seated, they all joined hands and bowed their heads

"Thank you Kami, for the people sitting at the table today, and for all the people who couldn't make it today. Thank you for the food we are about to eat, and lastly I would like to thank each and every one of you for all the hard work you do." the miko smiled as she finished her prayer, and everyone sat up straight to begin eating.

Sota grinned, stuffing a cookie in his mouth before turning to the miko, "Hey, Onēsan, I learned that I could do things I couldn't before, and mama said that you could do them too. Do you think you could teach me sometime?"

"Of course Sota, I'd be delighted to, I've been teaching Rin as well. You're more than welcome to come over anytime. I guess we got our answer, huh mama?" the miko beamed at her mother.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled, nodding her head, "We finally did dear, and it was a pleasant surprise. Your Sofu almost had a heart attack, your papa and I never told him of my family history. It wasn't brought up until your brother started showing his powers. It helped him understand why you were able to go through the well all those years ago."

"This mfff food is mfff delicious Gikyōdai!" Sota mumbled around his mouthful of rice and noribachi.

The daiyōkai scrunched his nose, "Please do not talk with food in your mouth, you are spitting it all over yourself and it is most unbecoming of a young man. But, thank you for the compliment Sota."

After spending a few hours at the family shrine, the miko packed up the left over cookies and helped her mother clean up the kitchen. The daiyōkai gathered up the kids and had them say their goodbyes, and waited patiently at the door for the miko to do the same. Cookies in hand, she followed the daiyōkai back out to the car and helped buckle the children in the car before taking her spot in the passenger seat.

The drive home seemed much shorter than it usually did, and by the time they parked, Toshiro was all giddy with a smile on his face. He was eager to get out of his fancy outfit and into comfortable clothes, hoping he had enough time to do so before his special friends came over. Rin didn't understand her brother's excitement, but it was contagious and she was smiling as well. The daiyōkai shook his head, a smirk pulling at his lips, as he walked towards their front door and proceeded to unlock it.

When the door swung open and the lights were flicked on, a crowd of people jumped out and shouted, "Happy Labor Thanksgiving Day!"

Rin hid behind the daiyōkai, unsure what was going on but overwhelmed by the amount of people smiling at them. It took her a few moments to recognize the wolf yōkai, his wife and kids as well as their children, and the kitsune with fiery orange hair who was grinning at her. Who she didn't recognize, was the woman whose arm was entangled around the kitsune's elbow.

"Oh thank you guys! We brought back some cookies to share." the miko beamed, ushering the children inside.

Kōga flashed the miko a fang filled grin, "Your cookies are the best Kagome. Thanks for inviting us over."

"Thanks for coming on such short notice, we weren't sure if you guys had plans already or not. Shippo, dear, who is this lovely woman and when were you going to introduce us?" she said as she made her way over to her adopted son and eyed the woman with scarlet eyes and midnight blue tresses that fell in waves at her waist.

His cheeks flushed a bright crimson, "Mama, this is Rei, she's actually one of the yōkai that works at papa's office. We've worked together on a few cases, and I just recently started courting her."

"It's nice to meet you Rei, and I'm glad that you could make it here with us tonight." the miko smiled.

Rei curtsied, "The pleasure is all mine, you are the great Shikon no Tama miko who brought peace to the world and tamed the Killing Perfection. Meeting you is the highest honor I could ever ask for."

The little children ran around after each other, the nekomata chasing after them as their screams and laughter filled the halls while the adults sat down in the living room catching up with each other. As she listened to the conversation, the miko smiled and thought to herself how lucky she got to be surrounded by such wonderful people.

If someone had told her that she would fall through a well into an era five hundred years before her time, and meet all these people, she would have laughed in their face and called them crazy. But having known all these people, she wouldn't change them for anything in the world. If she could go back to the day that Buyo ran into the well before school, she would go through it all over again happily if it meant the same outcome.

 **A/N: Here's the final chapter guys!**

 **I do want to make note that I do NOT speak Japanese, and I'm sorry if it isn't all correct, I used google to help me.**

 **I thought it would be fitting to end this with the Labor Thanksgiving Day, as it is their similar holiday to our Thanksgiving day, even if this is a week after our Thanksgiving. I hope you guys enjoyed this journey with me.**

 **For now, this will be the end of the story. I may or may not make a third one in the future, but I will probably do holiday one shots here and there. Until then, I would like to thank you guys for taking this journey with me and for all the feedback you gave me. You guys gave me the motivation I needed to keep writing, and that means the world to me.**

 **I hope some of you guys decide to stick around for my original story coming out soon on Wattpad! If you haven't already gone there to check it out, you can find me under Noellyn Valentine. My original will be called The Veiled Realms, so keep an eye out for it!**

 **Much love!**

 **xoxoxoxoxoxo**


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